By Ibrahim Usman
His Eminence Shaikh Ibraheem Yaqub Zakzaky (H) says the Islamic Movement Volunteer Guards known as Hurras, were deliberately and mischievously branded as military wing of the Movement to present the Movement as violent.
Sheikh Zakzaky made the statement at the annual parade ceremony of the Islamic Movement Volunteer Guards (Khurras) attended by thousands of people which took place at the Zaria Polo ground, Saturday.
Sheikh Zakzaky said contrary to such ill-intended insinuations, the Khurras is one arm, among many, of the Islamic Movement charged with the responsibility of orderly conduct in occasions, traffic control, firefighting, humanitarian activities and provision of other voluntary services to the society.
He said, there are other similar arms of the Movement such Sisters’ Forum and other for a charged with publication, health and many others related forum. “The Khurras are with the people and their efforts are visibly seen and appreciated by the society”.
He cited instances where the Khurras saved lives and property during fire incident and other life-saving services in the society, yet enemies of the Islamic Movement turned blind eye to such contributions offered.
He said, the Khurras were deliberately and mischievously misrepresented as an armed wing of the Movement to instill fear in the people, in order to present the Movement as violent.
“Nobody talks about us having schools, saving lives during crisis, offering selfless services to the society and other such voluntary acts, but they talk whenever they see Khurras on parade or on duty, describing them as militant wing of the Movement”, he said.
Leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, His Eminence Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky has advised the new government in the country to re-constitute and re-orient the army in order not to inherit an army that sees citizens as enemies.
He said, the present government should not expect a good result by using such a disoriented military to settle dispute or crisis, for the Nigerian military is in itself an agent of crisis and destruction.
He explained that the Nigerian military lacks courtesy and standard human relations in dealing with people, saying the only thing it specializes in was to kill unarmed citizens in which it takes great pride.
Citing the 2014 Quds Day massacre in which the Nigerian military in broad daylight killed 34 people including 3 of his children, His Eminence further explained that, the Nigerian military exhibited high sense of wickedness which also exposed them as the real Boko Haram. “That day we saw the real faces of Boko Haram in their full gear and uniform. Book Haram was nothing but the government of Ebele Jonathan”.
Further explaining the foolishness of the Nigerian Army, Shaikh Zakzaky as ridiculous how after the extra-judicial killings and torture, one Brigadier General Umama of the Zaria depot wrote a memo to the Army Headquarters indicating that the Nigerian military had won a war with no casualty and had captured prisoners of war and one ambulance as a proceeds of war.
“Nigerian military can be equated with wild beasts. Their actions has tarnished the prestige of the nation across the world. In the psyche of a Nigerian soldier, citizens have no right, but are enemies meant to be killed. The Nigerian soldier thinks he can do anything, having the license to kill and harass the citizens”.
He wondered how a top ranking military officer in Nigeria did not know the real definition of war, saying “a war is a war between two armies of two sovereign nations”.
He pointed that recruitment in the Nigerian Army was deliberately done on order of Ebele Jonathan against the quota system in Zamafara, Katsina, Kano and Jigawa states where people from Delta state were recruited to answer names of indigenes of these states in order to actualize selfish and dangerous agenda. “Let there be a screening exercise on every soldier to show his local government of origin”.
His Eminence briefly narrated the unrelenting assassination attempt on his life by the past government of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan using the military, and in conjunction with foreign military intelligence, which he said woefully failed.
Having failed in all the years of planned ambush, siege and infiltrations, the past government by the orders of its foreign masters decided to use the Zazzau Emirate Council which in turn hired thugs to attack his residence in Gyellesu Area.
“Now that the culprits and people behind the plan were fully known to us, whatever happens to any of us we know whom to hold responsible. They should not think they could kill and just go free”.