ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Amnesty International (AI) has called on the Nigerian military to give convincing account on the alleged slaughter of 347 Shi’ites during the clash it had with members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) on December 12 last year in Zaria, Kaduna State.
The AI Nigeria in a statement made available to Sundiata Post on Tuesday by its, media manager, Mr. Abdulrazaque Bello Barkindo, called for proper investigation into the reported killings.
The rights group demanded that the “revelations of the slaughter and secret burial of 347 members of a Shi’ite religious group in mass graves by the Nigerian Army must be urgently investigated and anyone suspected of criminal responsibility for these crimes must be brought to trial”.
According to AI, the acknowledgment of the extrajudicial killings which took place between 12-14 December 2015 in Zaria, were made by a Kaduna State Government official at a public hearing of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry and echoes Amnesty International’s own findings.
This stand was re-echoed by the country director of AI Nigeria, Ambassador Mohammed Ibrahim, saying: “The horrific revelation by the Kaduna State Government that hundreds of Shi’ites were gunned down and dumped in mass graves is an important first step to bringing all those suspected of criminal responsibility for this atrocity to trial.
“It is now imperative that the mass grave sites are protected in order that a full independent forensic investigation can begin. The bodies must be exhumed and Nigerian authorities should immediately reveal the whereabouts of those held in unacknowledged detention and either charge or release them.”
The AI said it has been conducting investigation into the Zaria killings since January, adding that a “comprehensive report will be published in the near future”.
The global human rights watchdo had also in a statement last year called for urgent investigation ino the clashes between the Nigerian Army and members of a Shi’ite religious group in Zaria, demanding that anyone found responsible for unlawful killings must be brought to justice.
Ibrahim was then reported to have said: “Firearms should only be used as a last resort, if strictly unavoidable in order to protect life. It is crucial that the authorities refrain from using excessive force and ensure that anyone responsible for unlawful killings is brought to justice in fair trials.
According Ibrahim, Nigerian security forces have a history of carrying out unlawful killings and other human rights violations.
He alleged that in the course of security operations against Boko Haram, Nigerian military forces have committed serious human rights violations, war crimes and acts which may constitute crimes against humanity in north-east Nigeria.
“An impartial investigation is urgently needed into these killings. Anyone responsible for unlawful killings should be brought to justice. Those in detention must be granted access to medical care as a matter of urgency and either charged with a recognisable criminal offence or released,” he stated.