Sheikh Zakzaky’s Daughter Tells about Army’s Massacre in Zaria
On December 12 last year, Nigerian soldiers attacked Shia Muslims attending a ceremony at a religious center in Zaria, a city in north of Nigeria, accusing them of blocking the convoy of the army’s chief of staff and attempting to assassinate him. The Shias have categorically denied the allegations.
The following day, Nigerian forces also raided Zakzaky’s home and injured and arrested him after killing those attempting to protect him.
The two attacks led to the deaths of hundreds of members of the religious community, including three of Zakzaky’s sons.
Zakiya Zakzaky told IQNA that his father and mother are in hospital under confinement.
She said since April 1, no visit to the hospital has been allowed and there has no news about Sheikh Zakzaky’s health and conditions.
She noted that one of the Shia cleric’s eyes was injured in the attack on his house and he cannot move his legs since he was shot during the raid.
There is still a bullet in his abdomen that cannot be removed due to possible risks, she added.
Pointing the massacre of Shia Muslim in Zaria in December, Zakiya Zakzaky said that during the raid on their house, army troops entered the house and started shooting.
They ordered the female members of the family to remove the Hijabs, she said, demonstrating their enmity with Islam.
She said during the following days, the army closed roads leading to Zaria and would search mobile phones of those heading to the city and if they found photos of Sheikh Zakzaky or Imam Khomeini (RA) or Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in anyone’s phone, they would shoot him dead.
She also referred to the court sessions held after the massacre and stressed that the court does not pursue justice and does not seek to bring the perpetrators to justice but looks more like an inquisition court.
In December 2015, the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said there was credible evidence of mass graves in Nigeria following the deadly attack on Shias.
The rights group said the Nigerian military had secretly buried hundreds of bodies in the graves after storming the house of the Shia cleric.
Human rights organizations have called for a full investigation into the deadly attacks by Nigerian forces.
