Forum demands release of students’ corpses

ben adhoc

January 20, 2016 2:13 PM

Some were in their 200 level, 400 level and 100 levels respectively. They were killed and many of them were arrested by the Army.

The Academic Forum of Islamic Movement of Nigeria has asked the Nigerian Army to release corpses of students allegedly killed during the Army- Shi’ite sect clash in Zaria, Kaduna State.

A member of the movement, Mr Abdullahi Musa, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

"We are demanding for justice for what happened in Zaria; they have killed so many people; they have arrested so many people.

"We are the Academic Forum of the Islamic Movement. We lost a lot of our students.

"Some were in their 200 level, 400 level and 100 levels respectively. They were killed and many of them were arrested by the Army.

"We don’t know their whereabouts so we are demanding for these people that are missing.

"The Army should give us the corpses of those killed so that we can go and bury in accordance with Islamic rites.

"We strongly demand for the release of our dear leader Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky,’’ he said.

NAN recalls that many people reportedly died on Dec. 12, 2015 during an alleged assassination attempt on the Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, by members of the Shi’ite sect in Zaria.

The incident led to a vicious clash between the military and some members of the sect, leading to the loss of lives and property.

The Chief of Army Staff had on Dec. 14, 2015 petitioned the National Human Rights Commission on allegations of attempt on his life and attack on his convoy.

Consequently, the commission constituted Mr Tony Ojukwu five-man panel to carry out a holistic investigation into the alleged violations of human rights.

Curiously, the sect also within the same week, sought the urgent intervention of the commission for the release of its 50 members, allegedly trapped in a tunnel, on Dec. 13.

The commission’s Executive Secretary Prof. Bem Angwe, had expressed satisfaction at the timely combined police and military rescue mission of the trapped persons.

ben adhoc