The National Daily of Sunday, 03 August 2014 carried an article titled “My sons blood cry for vengeance — El-Zakzaky” written by one Shehu Daud. We believe the write up is not only a sponsored campaign of calumny but also done with ill intent.
After the Nigerian Army’s merciless massacre on innocent people peacefully protesting the Israeli aggression on people of Palestine, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria has issued a number of press statements in addition to the press conference offered by Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky on the issue. The Islamic Movement in Nigeria maintains that a crime of killing innocent people has been openly done in broad day light by the Nigerian Army. 33 people have been killed three of whom are Sheikh Zakzaky’s sons and a Christian gentle man Julius Anyawu of 68 years old. Of the 33 killed, 19 were as a result of gun shots, while the remaining 14 were taken alive and tortured to death. 31 people were admitted in hospitals, while 36 were treated of various forms of injuries and discharged immediately.
We have said and still maintain that we have submitted the issue to Allah to judge and take retribution on the immediate and remote perpetuators of the heinous crimes. That however does not mean we will not pursue the matter through the appropriate channels at least to expose the criminals. So far, a number of Human Rights Organisations and Civil liberty organisations have taken up the matter and are pursuing it through the right avenues. It is therefore surprising to see the roguish publication of National Daily. In the write up, they claimed “highly informed sources disclosed to National Daily that El-Zakzaky the leader of Islamic movement in Nigeria in collaboration with Islamic fundamentalist organization oversea has commenced plans to unleash a new religious unrest across the country any moment from now”. This according to them is because “he has been so bitter, almost inconsolable ever since”. This is absolute nonsense. The text of sheikh Zakzaky’s press conference has been widely circulated in both local and international media. It is also available at www.islamicmovement.org and www.harkarmusulunci.org for whoever will care to check. So for the Nigerian security to come up with their garbage in National Daily newspaper is most unfortunate. As for the Sheikh being “almost inconsolable” can best be described as a joke. Right from the day of the incidence, thousands of people from all walks of life have been trooping to his house to condole him. They neither saw him crying and shouting Allahu akbar from morning to evening nor saw him uncomposed and confused as you wanted to make people believe.
The National Daily newspaper also claimed to have learnt that “that some Islamic faithful close to El-Zakzaky are allegedly working on plans to take violent actions reminiscence to the present Boko Haram insurgence in the country having seized the initiative from their leader, El-Zakzaky”. This is genuine fib. At no point in the history of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria has it taken arms against the state or anybody. Perhaps the state security is planning to carry out some masked misdemeanours and attribute them to the Islamic Movement just they like do in the name of Boko Haram. Unlike Boko Haram, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria under the able leadership of Sheikh Zakzaky is not a making of the state. So it cannot be twisted or hijacked. The Islamic Movement in Nigeria has focus, mission and method of operation. It is guided by the divine religion of Islam. It is not a confused crowd of hooligans that can be manipulated or dragged in to armed struggle.
Elsewhere the devil informant of Shehu Dauda of National Daily claimed “El-Zakzaky is no longer in the position right now to totally determine what happens in the Islamic movement in Nigeria”. This is another unadulterated lie. Members of the Islamic Movement are disciplined and have undivided and absolute allegiance to the leadership of Sheikh Zakzaky. The moles planted in the Movement have not been able to cause the wishful thoughts of the evil informant of National Daily newspaper.
On the issue of Iran, Lebanon, Turkey and Palestinian and some South American nations such as Brazil, Ecuador and Bolivia condemning the killing and calling for punitive action against the perpetrators, it shows the international dimension of the Movement. In fact, that is why it is the Islamic Movement IN Nigeria. It is global phenomenon that is why the crimes committed are receiving global condemnation.
Yes the Nigerian government is caught in a tangle of shame, having danced to the tune of the isolated and hated Israeli government by killing on behalf of the Zionist regime. So, it is not surprising that the world is condemning the Nigerian authorities.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria has no plan in whatever form of carrying out any act of attack or offensive on anybody as a result of the Zaria massacre. Similar killings had been meted out on the Islamic Movement in Nigeria by previous governments; some of the killers are leaving amidst the society. Had it been in our line to take vengeance, such criminals could have been dealt with.
We demand to know what National daily is up to. We have our organs, we have newspapers and we have websites. What then are they up to? This must be an attempt by the killers to come up with more killings of innocent souls and claim that the “Shiites” are taking revenge. So any action or form of terror attack or crime committed by anybody is not in the name of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria.
In Allah we trust and on to Him we rely.
Dr. Abdullahi Danladi,
Resource Forum,
Islamic Movement in Nigeria.