Int'l Human Rights Watchdogs Continue Mum on Nigerian Massacre

TEHRAN (FNA)- Three days after the mass killing of hundreds of unarmed citizens by the Nigerian army, the world human rights bodies, including the Human Rights Watch, have kept mum indicating that they intend to turn a blind eye to the horrendous crimes committed by the Nigerian regime in the weekend.

The Nigerian army attacked two religious centers of the country's Shiite community on Saturday, killing hundreds of defenseless civilians there. A few hours later on Sunday, the military severely wounded and arrested Leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky after raiding his house and killing his son, assistants and hundreds of followers.
Hundreds have been killed in the raid and IMN spokesman Ibrahim Musa said "We have reports that bodies of our members killed outside the house of our leader are being evacuated in trucks by soldiers". The Sheikh himself received multiple shots during the indiscriminate shooting of the army units who sprayed bullets on the crowd.

The Saturday and Sunday crackdown on the Shiite community by the Nigerian army that ended in the massacre of around 1,000 people in several raids has caused serious concerns in many countries but the international human rights bodies, including the HRW and Amnesty International, have closed their eyes on the mass-killing.

The Nigerian army staged several raids on three Shiite religious centers and killed 1,000 defenseless citizens in the city of Zaria on Saturday and Sunday.

"The Army forces opened fire at those present in Zakzaky's house, killing and wounding a large number of people," a member of the UK-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) told FNA on Sunday.

According to him, the soldiers opened fire on local residents who were trying to protect the Shiite cleric.

A local resident told FNA that Sheikh Zakzaky's wife, Zinat Ibrahim, and his fourth son, Ali, were killed in the last raid on his house on Sunday.

Ali's three elder brothers were all martyred by the Nigerian army in their raid on the last year's Tasoua and Ashoura mourning ceremonies marking the martyrdom anniversary of Shiite Islam's third Imam, Hossein Ibn-e Ali (AS). Ali was taken by plain clothes regime forces and kept in an unknown place for some time during the last year raid.

Also, eyewitnesses said that Sheikh Mahmoud Mohammad Touri and Dr. Mostafa Saeed, the Nigerian leader's deputy and physician, respectively, as well as Osman Ibrahim and Jemi Glima were among those killed in the raid.

Witnesses also said that the army surrounded the Leader's house after multiple raids Sunday.

"All those inside the house were killed and Sheikh Zakzaky was arrested and taken away by the soldier," they added.

According to the locals, soldiers returned to the house and killed all those inside who had been wounded in previous raids. "No one is alive now," they said, adding that tens of people have been killed in the army raids on the Sheikh's house and two other Shiite religious center that started Saturday night through Sunday morning (local time).

“At noon today (Saturday) armed soldiers were seen in the precincts of Hussainiyyah Baqiyyatullah, Zaria, where members of the Islamic Movement were to hoist flag to usher in the new month of Maulud, the birth of the Holy Prophet of Islam," Islamic Movement Spokesman Ibrahim Usman said in a statement.

“Similar occasion was previously carried out on the same spot with free traffic flow under the supervision of the Movement’s traffic warders," he added.

“When some brothers met the soldiers to ask for their mission, they took position and opened fire indiscriminately, killed many and took away seven of the casualties to an unknown location," Usman said.

“Based on the foregoing, we believe that the military had pre-planned this and had acted according to their mischievous script. They came with their cameramen, videotaping the whole incidence while it lasted."

While the army claimed that unspecified people intended to assassinate the army's chief of staff, the community leaders rejected the claim, asking how come a thousand people have been killed on their side, but the army sustained no casualties.

“We are however surprised that, spokesman of the military Colonel Kuka Sheka shamelessly came out in the media and issued a press statement to say, that it was an assassination attempt on the Chief of Army Staff at the order of the movement’s leader."

“Why was it that there were no casualties on the side of the military, if it were to be an assassination attempt? What happened was never a clash, but a continuation of act of terrorism by the Nigerian military on the Movement, as was the case in the past."

“We are not surprised by this action, as there were reports spread by the same military the night before that the Shiites were to avenge their dead by hired thugs on Friday in Gabari, a village in Zaria."

“The same military also spread rumors that the Shiites had killed soldiers, all in attempt to justify today’s (Saturday’s) dastardly act."

“Kuka Sheka should know that once bitten twice shy. The 2014 massacre of 34 members of the Islamic Movement, including three of Sheikh Zakzaky’s children by the military; the attempt on Sheikh Zakzaky’s convoy by the same military are still in our minds." “No government can flourish successfully with disoriented military, full of trigger-itchy personnel and security operatives trained by CIA and Mossad."

“Until the present government fishes out this cabal in the military and brings the culprits to book, we will believe the government is condoning violence and terrorism on innocent citizens.”

Nigeria is fighting a six-year-old Boko Haram insurgency that has killed some 17,000 people and forced 2.6 million to flee their homes. IMN is among the groups standing against Boko Haram terrorists.

The latest violence was sparked when Shiite faithful on Saturday blocked the main road outside their Husseiniyya religious center, where hundreds had gathered for a ceremony.

The military claimed Shiites attacked the convoy of the army chief, Yusuf Buratai, which left soldiers no option but to retaliate.

The group however denied the claim and the police investigators have not found even one weapon from the IMN members.