Pars Today

The government of Nigeria, or more properly, President Muhamadu Buhari, who under the influence of Saudi Arabia and in violation of the orders of the Nigerian Federal Court has continued to keep the venerable leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibraheem az-Zakzaki, in prison, along with his wife and several followers since the December 15, 2015, ought to free him.

The President of the Media Forum of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim Musa, in an interview with the Blueprint Newspaper, has affirmed the strong resolve of IMN to continue the campaign to free Sheikh Zakzaky.

He said last Monday, there was stampede in Abuja when police dispersed members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, from protesting at the Unity Fountain. During the clash, tear gas and bullets were freely fired and in the end, 115 people were arrested and one person shot in head and martyred. He spoke on the clash and how the Islamic Movement plans to continue with its peaceful protests.

Asked the reason members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria defy police order by insisting on its sit-ins at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, he said: It is not true that we defied their order. We were just exercising our right to peaceful assembly as guaranteed by the constitution. Nowhere under the law is it said that we have to even ask for permit before we assemble peacefully. But instead of protests and confrontations, why has the movement not returned to court to press for the release of your detained leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky?

He continued: We are still in courts. It seems the Attorney General of the Federation, Alhaji Abubakar Malami, created a stalemate on the appeal they are claiming to have made on the judgement of the federal high court freeing our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky. They refused to follow all the procedures of the appeal, thereby intentionally delaying the appeal proceedings. So, it is not that we have abandoned the legal path and become confrontational. Remember, justice delayed is justice denied.

Ibrahim Musa said the IMN has been treated unjustly and badly by the Buhari’s regime, and there are other similar human rights organisations that do support our demand for freedom for Sheikh Zakzaky.

He said: We started the campaign to free Sheikh Zakzaky before him. Of course, we are working together, and there is no problem with that.

When asked on the alleged us of IMN by the opposition for political reasons, especially to discredit the present administration, whether IMN in league with politicians when it is supposed to be a non-partisan religious body, Ibrahim Musa made it clear: The IMN is not in league with any party or politician, and as you rightly said we are a non-partisan religious body. Even the brutal clamp down on the Movement is not viewed from partisan lines. We have never accused the APC as a political party, rather we blame the administration of President Muhamadu Buhari.

He continued: If any political party condemns how we are being treated, probably it is aiming for cheap political points, but not that we are in tandem with the political party. Remember it is not the Islamic Movement that started this crisis, it is the federal government; therefore, it is wrong for somebody to assume we are being used for some sinister motives.

Questioned that IMN member are saying bad things about President Buhari, he replied: Imagine yourself to be the victim of somebody who killed your parents and detains your religious leader, will you sing his praise?

When asked Islam forbids a Muslim to abuse his leader and the action of IMN members is disobedience of divine law, Ibrahim Musa said: I don’t know where you get that ruling that Islam forbids a Muslim to criticize such leaders. If you look into the history of Islam, you will come across instances where leaders were criticized for injustice. It is when you forget what was done to us in Zaria that you will see the bad side of that video you are talking of. Remember over a thousand people were killed, some burnt alive, including children and women, with many buried in a mass grave.

He further said: What is happening is that during our peaceful protests, we observed that some people are doing some things that are detrimental to our cause. As a Movement, for the past four decades we have not been violent, so anybody taking the path of violence is not part of us.

Ibrahim Musa dismissed the allegation that IMN members block roads regularly, saying: It doesn’t make sense even for us to block road just because we are holding a programme in Husainiyya Baqiyyatullah that is along the busy Sokoto road in Zaria. If you say because of our numbers traffic becomes heavy, I agree with that, but we don’t block roads and stop safe passage of vehicles. We have videos of our programmes on the net, if you click them you can see our volunteers controlling movement of vehicles on that busy high way.

Ibrahim Musa said the IMN members are determined to continue their campaign, including sit-ins at Unity Fountain, in peaceful manner, until their demands for freedom of Sheikh Zakzaky are met. He said, there is no justification for keeping him behind bars after killing his children and followers and wounding him critically.

That was a report was taken from Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA).

AS/ME