Justice for the victims of the December 2015 bloody clash in Zaria, Kaduna State, during which soldiers dislodged a Shi’ite worship centre and residence of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, has remained elusive five years after.

Over 340 civilians, largely members of the IMN, were killed while a soldier also lost his life, according to official accounts. But the IMN at the time said over 1,000 of its members were killed.

Gyellesu, a bustling community located opposite the Samaru Campus of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, which played host to Sheikh Zakzaky and his IMN followers before the clash, was one of the places worst affected.

While some of those who survived the clash said they were still waiting to be compensated, the Kaduna State government told Daily Trust that it took over some properties around the scene of the carnage because of overriding public interest.

The government also said it has started implementing the recommendations of the judicial commission of inquiry it set up, including banning the IMN and compensating some of those deserving it.

However, most of the victims of the crisis said their details were only taken and nothing more.

Mohammed Inuwa Sheshi, 35, a tailor at Gyellesu settlement in Zaria, is one of the victims of the clash that took place in the ancient city in December 2015.

The dark memories of events that led to the crisis still linger in his mind.

Sheshi, who had lived in the area for about 15 years, told Daily Trust at his shop how, “Whenever I remember that incident, my heart freezes because of the shock and anxiety I experienced.

“Although the incident lasted for only about two days, the level of damage was monumental.”

But beyond the shock, he is also disappointed that five years after, the promises made by the government to compensate victims have not been fulfilled.

Widowed and broken

On a recent visit to Zaria, Daily Trust encountered two women who have been rendered widows by the clash.

Zainab Isa, who lost her husband and six male children during the clash, betrayed emotions as she expressed doubt over the prospect of getting justice for the killing of her loved ones.

She said: “On that fateful day, rumour had started filtering in that Hussainiyya was under attack. Being the first day of the month of Rabi’ul Awwal, which was slated for hoisting the Prophet’s flag to mark the beginning of Maulud, I asked my children to be at the venue since I was billed to go somewhere else.

“Around 1pm, we heard that Hussainiyya was tense and I decided to go there myself. But before I got there, the carnage had already taken place. I found the place under siege by armed soldiers while our children were trapped inside.

“Initially, my thought was that they (soldiers) were there for the POP (passing out parade) and would vacate the vicinity after the event. We also noticed a massive deployment of soldiers around Polo Ground, who opened fire on the crowd at Hussainiyya.”

Zainab left Hussainiyya but returned home the following morning without meeting her children and husband. She later found out that except for her youngest male child, the rest were either killed or had gone missing in the crisis.

She displayed their photographs, tears coursing down her cheeks. Asked how she had been coping five years after, Zainab, who said she has been doing some petty trading to survive with her only surviving son, simply said: “It is a trial of faith.”

Mohammed Inuwa Sheshi

On whether she expects justice from the government, she said: “There is nothing they can do to bring about redress to us in terms of justice. We are repressed. Look now, our children have been taken away from us, we don’t know their whereabouts for five years. Not all of them were killed; most of them were buried alive. Some were moved to unknown destinations.”

Another widow, Sherifat Salihu, who lost her husband and three children in the crisis, said life has not been the same for her since then.

“We were living happily with my husband and our children. My children were my pillars, the ones doing the house chores. I have been left empty after their deaths.

“No justice can come from government; even the commission of inquiry cannot bring about justice. I have sued them to Allah’s court. I will return to Allah and they are going there too. It is only when we meet before God’s Court that we can get justice,” she said.

The trigger of the crisis

Daily Trust reports that members of the IMN, who were conducting a “hoisting of flag” ceremony at Hussainiyya, their headquarters along PZ-Samaru Road, had mounted roadblocks at strategic locations on the highway on all approaches from Samaru and at the popular PZ Railway Junction.

It was about the time the convoy of the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, was coming from Dutse, Jigawa State, to attend the passing out parade (PoP) of the 73rd regular recruits at the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria.

The convoy was caught up by the blockade and officers on the entourage of the army chief were said to have made entreaties to the IMN members to lift the barricade for the convoy to pass but to no avail.

Zainab Isa, Lost her husband and six children in the clashes

This, according to witnesses, led to the “forceful clearance” of the roadblocks by soldiers who reportedly used lethal force.

Consequently, the military carried out a cordon and search operation at Hussainiyya and Gyellesu, the residence of the IMN leader as well as Darul Rahma at Dambo village. In the wake of these operations, hundreds of lives were lost while movable and properties destroyed.

Although there were conflicting reports over the death toll in the clashes, the Kaduna State government carried out the burial of over 300 dead bodies in a mass grave at a cemetery along Mando Road, Kaduna.

‘Compensation still hanging’

Following the incident, the Kaduna State government set up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the incident.

The commission, with 13 members from different professional backgrounds, headed by Hon. Mohammed Lawal Garba, was inaugurated on January 29, 2016. Among its terms of reference was to ascertain the number of persons killed, those wounded or missing during the clashes.

It is also to identify all property allegedly damaged or destroyed during the clashes, the owners or occupiers of such property and the values claimed for such damage or destruction.

Similarly, the commission was mandated to make recommendations to the state and the federal governments on the direct or indirect responsibility for any identified acts of commission or omission. It was also to recommend actions to be taken to ensure that administrative or criminal responsibility was further determined by the appropriate administrative or judicial authorities for any identified acts or omissions.

On receipt of the report of the commission, the Kaduna State government appointed a White Paper Drafting Committee through a letter no. SSG/KDS/508/ VOL.T4/100 dated July 22, 2016, to study the recommendations of the panel and produce a White Paper.

Investigations, however, revealed that although the panel made far-reaching findings and recommendations which were backed by the white paper, they are yet to be implemented five years after.

Among other findings, the report, a copy of which Daily Trust exclusively obtained, indicated that properties belonging to 19 persons valued at N74.3 million were destroyed while vehicles belonging to 25 persons valued at N78. 9 million were also destroyed

It also found that six (unspecified) properties belonging to members of the IMN were destroyed but the value could not be ascertained since the IMN did not appear before the commission of inquiry. “The Kaduna State government should appoint professional valuers to re-evaluate properties reported to have been destroyed or damaged and take appropriate steps to provide the necessary compensation to the claimants,” the report recommended.

Daily Trust findings further showed that although the state government had noted in the White Paper that: “Property destroyed had already been valued for the purpose of payment of reasonable compensation to circumstantial victims,” many of the victims who spoke in Zaria said nothing was given to them.

Sheshi the tailor in Gyellesu said: “It has been five years after I presented my estimated losses but the promise of compensation made by government remains a pipe dream.”

Suleiman Idris, another tailor in Gyellesu said following the incident, he was requested to make a submission through the Zaria Local Government Area for compensation but nothing has been done yet.

“My shop was burnt to ashes and I lost property worth N750,000 including three sewing machines. I was requested to make documentation of my losses which I did but to date, nothing has been done,” Idris said.

Another victim, Zahraddeen Sanusi, said he lost goods in his shop worth N1.3 million. “We were informed that fateful night that our shops were set on fire as a result of the IMN/military clash.

“When I got to my shop the provisions I had stocked for sale, including fridges were all destroyed. We were later promised assistance after submitting our losses to Zaria Local Government Council but five years after nothing has been done,” he said.

Similarly, Salisu Ahmed Gyellesu, another victim, said he wrote and submitted to the investigation committee that sat in Kaduna, details of the destruction done to his house, including the damage to his car and that of his younger brother, but there has been no response.

“They asked me some questions just the way you are asking me now on what happened and I told them; the government promised to pay us some money to enable us to fix what was damaged but we’ve not received anything yet,” he said.

Aliyu Mohammed Kafinta, who said their mosque was affected during the clash at Gyellesu, said the government did not give them any form of assistance. “You can see all the repair works we did are through our own efforts; we need assistance from government in any form,” he said.

The Vice-Chairman, Gyellesu Community Development Association, Malam Mukhtar, said apart from individual residents, the community made a presentation to the judicial commission detailing the losses incurred by victims but there was no response from the government.

“There were only promises from political office holders who made pledges that the government would assist victims that lost their property but nothing has been done to that effect. We even wrote two reminders to the governor of Kaduna State but no response up till now.

“Government should be realistic and compassionate for the less privileged, especially those who lost their property. If they cannot pay them they should at least compensate them with something tangible,” Mukhtar, said.

IMN against Nigeria’s sovereignty – Inquiry commission

Aside from the panel’s recommendation on compensation, checks by Daily Trust also showed that the IMN also crossed its borders.

For instance, the panel said it found that the IMN had been steadfast and deliberate in refusing to recognise the legitimacy, authority and the Constitution of the Nigerian State.

“They have operated outside the laws of the state and the Funtua Declaration is their flagship enunciation of the ideology of confrontation with the Nigerian State, its legal system and its security agencies. The result has been a long tradition of IMN refusal to respect, observe and comply with the laws of the country,” the report said.

It therefore recommended that the state and its law enforcement agencies should investigate all persons allegedly breaking the law even when such persons belong to powerful religious groups. “All those found to have engaged in illegal activities must be prosecuted and if found to be guilty be punished appropriately,” the report recommended.

On killings, the report said evidence before the commission from the Kaduna State government’s memo dated February 26, 2016 states; “From the bodies provided by the army, 347 corpses were evacuated from the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika and 191 from the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria. The actual counting of the corpses by Kaduna State government officials during the burial confirmed this number.”

It also found that the memorandum submitted by the Nigerian Army dated February 9, 2016, revealed that they lost one soldier, Cpl. Dan Kaduna Yakubu 98NA/46/29100.

“Oral evidence before the commission by the Nigerian Army Acting Provost Marshal showed that seven people died at the scene of the blockade near Hussainiyya along Sokoto road, Zaria on December 12, 2015,” the report read.

While recommending that, “Members of the Nigerian Army found to have been involved in the killings should be brought to trial before a court of competent jurisdiction,” the report also said: “The members of the IMN found to have been involved in the killing of Cpl. Dan Kaduna Yakubu should also be tried before a Court of competent jurisdiction.”

The report faulted the Cordon and Search Operations Order that led to the killing of victims, saying: “The oral order for the cordon and search operation issued by the GOC 1 Div which led to the deployment of officers and men of the NA for operational use, was in contravention of the provisions of Section 8 of the Armed Forces Act, No. 24 of 1994.

“It is recommended that all such orders in future should be written and lawfully procured under the law. Cordon and Search Orders should always be accompanied by the issuance of the “Rules of Engagement” to all officers and men involved,” the report said.

https://dailytrust.com/years-after-zaria-killings-victims-of-army-shiite-clash-await-compensation

I'm the only one who is not surprise?

IPOB terrorist. tell us how zakzaky and the Army situation makes you people happy. You people have no idea what zakzaky and his followers intentions. if this guys take over may your God and Israel help you.

tsephanyah:
IPOB terrorist. tell us how zakzaky and the Army situation makes you people happy. You people have no idea what zakzaky and his followers intentions. if this guys take over may your God and Israel help you.

Shataap. You think that we don't know that you people and them have being fighting for more than 500years .

vanunu:




Shataap. You think that we don't know that you people and them have being fighting for more than 500years .

what is that

The president only compensates bandits and kidnappers for a job well done. So if you want compensation, it's simple, become a northern terrorist!

Nigeria’s government wants to keep Zakzaky in prison until he dies: Expert
Nigerian authorities are trying to prolong the imprisonment of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), by summoning false witnesses and making new charges, according a Nigerian academic and analyst.
http://en.hausatv.com/news/content/24163

It would never be well with the military for their crimes against humanity.
They will die in the hands of bandits and terrorists
https://mobile.twitter.com/yarkafanchan/status/1362387645184245760

After how many years?