El-Zakzaky Lambasts Buhari on Zaria Killing's Tenth Anniversary: “We Will Meet on Judgement Day”
- El-Zakzaky marked the tenth anniversary of the Zaria killings and said late Buhari would answer before God for the tragedy
- The IMN leader criticised past and current administrations for failing to release the judicial inquiry report or recognise victims
- He maintained that attempts to suppress the IMN had instead amplified the movement’s global visibility
A decade after the deadly confrontation between soldiers and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky has said former President Muhammadu Buhari will account for his role in the tragedy on the Day of Judgement.
According to Daily Trust, he made the remark during a press conference held to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the incident.
Source: Twitter
The confrontation occurred during Buhari’s tenure and started as a dispute between IMN members and security escorts attached to the then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, in Zaria, Kaduna State.
The situation swiftly escalated and ended in widespread casualties and the ban of the IMN.
Calls for accountability remain unanswered
In the aftermath of the clash, soldiers conducted several operations that led to mass casualties. Human Rights Watch reported that around 300 IMN members were killed and secretly buried.
A separate judicial commission of inquiry set up by the Kaduna state government put the death toll at more than 1,000 civilians, most of them IMN adherents.
El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, were arrested shortly after the crisis and remained in custody for years until a Kaduna High Court freed them in 2021.
Judicial report on Zaria killings still unpublished
At the anniversary briefing, El-Zakzaky criticised the Buhari administration and those that followed for refusing to release the commission’s report or show any formal recognition of the victims. He said the authorities had ignored a tragedy documented by their own panel.
“Nothing has been done. They do not even acknowledge that anything happened. Even though a judicial commission of enquiry was set up and submitted its report on 7th September 2016, nothing came out of it,” he said.
He stated that even the current administration, which had earlier promised to revisit the case and consider compensation, had maintained what he described as complete silence.
Asked if he had forgiven Buhari, he responded: “As for Buhari, it’s simple. He has passed away. We will meet on the Day of Judgement.”
Source: Facebook
El-Zakzaky movement vows to stay active
El Zakzaky said the tragedy did not weaken the IMN. He argued that attempts to suppress the organisation only drew global attention to its activities. He referenced international protests that followed his arrest as evidence of the movement’s resilience.
He also noted that IMN had taken legal steps abroad through the Islamic Human Rights Commission. He said the group would remain active despite restrictions on gathering spaces.
“If they don’t want to see us, they will still see us,” he said.
Buhari speaks on Zaria killings
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that late former president Muhammadu Buhari, during his first presidential media chat, touched upon the issue of the Nigerian army clash with members of the Shiite movement in Zaria on December 12-13.
The president declined to speak on the issue adding that he would only comment on the Shiite killings after receiving reports of investigations from the police and the Kaduna state government.
Source: Legit.ng
