Is Nigerian Military Innocuous to Muslims in Region?

Ibrahim Zakzaky has been a prominent leader and the face for the Shia minority Muslims in Nigeria. For long he had been promoting the rights of the minority along with standing up for the unfair treatment with them in the region. Back in late 1970s, El Zakzaky started an organization with a name Islamic Movement in Nigeria (Formerly known as Muslim Brothers), of which he is the known spiritual leader. The Nigerian military has been against him with accusations of murder and homicide, whereas what seems to be is that the majority is against the minority due to obvious Salafism ideology in the region. Shias are not viewed as a minority but as a threat which needs to be eliminated at its earliest. On different occasions, in year 2014 & 2015, Zakzaky’s 6 sons have been killed by the military so far, with not only 1 son and 1 daughter alive, who themselves are never safe.

On July 6^th 2019, Zakzaky’s son, Muhammad visited him in jail, where he was astonished to see that Zakzaky is being treated not only against the rules of a prisoner but also against the basic human rights. “My father was found to have unusually excessive and life-threatening concentrations of lead and cadmium in his blood. As a result of this, various experts we have consulted recommended immediate hospitalisation in a properly equipped facility and other medical procedures in order to try to save his life. This was over a month ago, yet nothing has been done to date,” he said.

Due to the current situation of Ibrahim El Zakzaky, the Shia Muslims have started protests all around the country, where peaceful protests have turned wild as the military has been attacking the protestors since then. Many have been killed and wounded up till now, but the protestors have something different in their mind. According to a protestor “The police brutality and inhumanity is only going to give us more courage to keep protesting until our leader is released”.

Although on 2^nd December 2016, an unconditional release order was put forward by the court, yet due to the interior issues between the government and other senior stake holders in government, no such action was implemented. It is yet to see if the government, in total, realizes that Ibrahim El Zakzaky needs urgent medical treatment and is released or is sent to a foreign country for recommended surgeries and medical attention.

#FreeZakzaky