Human Rights Watch (HRW) has interviewed 16
witnesses to the killings of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria
by the Nigerian army from December 12 to 14.
Premium Times reports that the group also called on the Judicial
Commission of Inquiry set up by the government to be independent and
impartial to hold those responsible to account.
Speaking with HRW, the witnesses and five others, including local authorities, confirmed that soldiers fired on Shia Muslim members of the group at three locations in Zaria. However, the army stated that its confrontation with the members of the Shia sect had resulted from an assassination attempt on the army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, whose convoy was passing by.
HRW saw an internal military document, in which the army said that protesters appeared to be taking up positions near the back of the convoy.
Daniel Bekele, Africa director at HRW, noted that “the Nigerian military’s version of events does not stack up”.
“It is almost impossible to see how a roadblock by angry young men could justify the killings of hundreds of people. At best it was a brutal overreaction and at worst it was a planned attack on the minority Shia
Group,” he said.
Over the course of two days, the army carried out attacks at the Hussainniya Baqiyyatullah mosque and religious center, at the home of the Shi’ite leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Al Zakzaky, in the Gyellesu neighborhood and at the sect’s burial ground, Daral-Rahma.
According to witnesses and a hospital source, at least 300 Shia sect members, and likely many more, were killed and hundreds more injured.
There is speculation that soldiers quickly buried the bodies in mass graves without family members’ permission, making it difficult to determine an accurate death toll.
Witnesses who were at the Hussainniyah mosque and religious center said that dozens of soldiers took up position at the mosque at around midday on December 12. It was an hour before the army chief of staff was due to pass by.
Witnesses interviewed separately by HRW said that without any provocation, the soldiers fired on people coming out of the mosque, killing five people and injuring others, including children who attended classes at the center.
Speaking with HRW, a 30-year-old man who was at Hussainniyah mosque and religious centre said:
“By around 2:30 p.m. when a long military convoy came we tried to explain why we were concerned that they seemed focused on us. Before long they just started shooting their way through the barricade. Up to 50 of us including women and children were killed. The rest of us fled in different directions.
“I hid in a gutter for a long time. Then I noticed at around 10 p.m. that more soldiers came. They took positions around Hussainniyah. Not long after I got a call that the same thing was happening at Gyellesu. So I crawled my way out of the area and ran to the Sheikh’s house to help protect him.
“Around 2 a.m. those still stuck at Hussainniyah called to say the soldiers were announcing that everyone should come out of the center. When they did not respond, soldiers started throwing grenades into the building. We could hear the explosions over the phone. There were more than 500 people in that place. We lost count of the numbers after they told us of the 175th death. After that we could no longer reach anyone there. I believe there are still some hiding around the place afraid and injured.”
Later that day, soldiers advanced to Gyellesu neighborhood, about 10 kilometers from the mosque, towards Al-Zakzazy’s house. Fearing their leader might be arrested or killed, hundreds of sect members gathered at his house to protect him.
According to the witnesses, soldiers fired at random on the large crowd of men, women, and children, some of whom were throwing stones and carrying sticks. The firing continued throughout the night and intensified in the early morning until Al-Zakzazy and his wife, Zeenatu, were arrested on December 14. Witnesses said that both had multiple gunshot wounds.
A 46-year-old woman who was visiting relatives in a house close to Al-Zakzaky’s house in Gyellesu told HRW that she was awakened by the sounds of gunshots.
“I heard shots. I ran over to Sheikh’s house to find out what was happening. That’s when I saw so many people on the street. There were soldiers at the end of the road. They were shooting. The bullets were just flying everywhere, hitting and killing many people. I saw two children who looked like they could be aged 7 and 12 writhing in pain on the ground. They were bleeding.
“Just then I saw one of my five sons. They had gone to Hussainniyah [mosque] that morning. So I asked him to help me move the older one whose injury was worse into a house. When we came back to pick the second child, the soldiers had noticed him. We ran away as they shot him point blank in the head. He was only a child. I fell as a wall caved in on me when the soldiers threw a bomb toward the house.
“That was the last I saw of my son or any of his brothers till today. What really is our offense? Why do they hate us so much? I don’t know how I survived. It was at the hospital they found out I had 12 bits of shrapnel lodged in my back,” she said.
“I heard shots. I ran over to Sheikh’s house to find out what was happening. That’s when I saw so many people on the street.”
Speaking with HRW, the witnesses and five others, including local authorities, confirmed that soldiers fired on Shia Muslim members of the group at three locations in Zaria. However, the army stated that its confrontation with the members of the Shia sect had resulted from an assassination attempt on the army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, whose convoy was passing by.
HRW saw an internal military document, in which the army said that protesters appeared to be taking up positions near the back of the convoy.
Daniel Bekele, Africa director at HRW, noted that “the Nigerian military’s version of events does not stack up”.
“It is almost impossible to see how a roadblock by angry young men could justify the killings of hundreds of people. At best it was a brutal overreaction and at worst it was a planned attack on the minority Shia
Group,” he said.
Over the course of two days, the army carried out attacks at the Hussainniya Baqiyyatullah mosque and religious center, at the home of the Shi’ite leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Al Zakzaky, in the Gyellesu neighborhood and at the sect’s burial ground, Daral-Rahma.
According to witnesses and a hospital source, at least 300 Shia sect members, and likely many more, were killed and hundreds more injured.
There is speculation that soldiers quickly buried the bodies in mass graves without family members’ permission, making it difficult to determine an accurate death toll.
Witnesses who were at the Hussainniyah mosque and religious center said that dozens of soldiers took up position at the mosque at around midday on December 12. It was an hour before the army chief of staff was due to pass by.
Witnesses interviewed separately by HRW said that without any provocation, the soldiers fired on people coming out of the mosque, killing five people and injuring others, including children who attended classes at the center.
Speaking with HRW, a 30-year-old man who was at Hussainniyah mosque and religious centre said:
“By around 2:30 p.m. when a long military convoy came we tried to explain why we were concerned that they seemed focused on us. Before long they just started shooting their way through the barricade. Up to 50 of us including women and children were killed. The rest of us fled in different directions.
“I hid in a gutter for a long time. Then I noticed at around 10 p.m. that more soldiers came. They took positions around Hussainniyah. Not long after I got a call that the same thing was happening at Gyellesu. So I crawled my way out of the area and ran to the Sheikh’s house to help protect him.
“Around 2 a.m. those still stuck at Hussainniyah called to say the soldiers were announcing that everyone should come out of the center. When they did not respond, soldiers started throwing grenades into the building. We could hear the explosions over the phone. There were more than 500 people in that place. We lost count of the numbers after they told us of the 175th death. After that we could no longer reach anyone there. I believe there are still some hiding around the place afraid and injured.”
Later that day, soldiers advanced to Gyellesu neighborhood, about 10 kilometers from the mosque, towards Al-Zakzazy’s house. Fearing their leader might be arrested or killed, hundreds of sect members gathered at his house to protect him.
According to the witnesses, soldiers fired at random on the large crowd of men, women, and children, some of whom were throwing stones and carrying sticks. The firing continued throughout the night and intensified in the early morning until Al-Zakzazy and his wife, Zeenatu, were arrested on December 14. Witnesses said that both had multiple gunshot wounds.
A 46-year-old woman who was visiting relatives in a house close to Al-Zakzaky’s house in Gyellesu told HRW that she was awakened by the sounds of gunshots.
“I heard shots. I ran over to Sheikh’s house to find out what was happening. That’s when I saw so many people on the street. There were soldiers at the end of the road. They were shooting. The bullets were just flying everywhere, hitting and killing many people. I saw two children who looked like they could be aged 7 and 12 writhing in pain on the ground. They were bleeding.
“Just then I saw one of my five sons. They had gone to Hussainniyah [mosque] that morning. So I asked him to help me move the older one whose injury was worse into a house. When we came back to pick the second child, the soldiers had noticed him. We ran away as they shot him point blank in the head. He was only a child. I fell as a wall caved in on me when the soldiers threw a bomb toward the house.
“That was the last I saw of my son or any of his brothers till today. What really is our offense? Why do they hate us so much? I don’t know how I survived. It was at the hospital they found out I had 12 bits of shrapnel lodged in my back,” she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment