The Human Rights Watch has described the Nigeria Army attack on Shi’ite
group on December 14 and 14, as “unjustified” and called for an
independent inquiry into the attack.
Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, Daniel Bekele, said in a report
that the organization interviewed 16 witnesses to the killings and five
others, including local authorities, who said that the Nigerian Army
Soldiers fired on the Shiite Muslim members at three locations of the
group in Zaria.
He said the army said its confrontation with the Shitte sect members who
had erected a makeshift roadblock near a mosque resulted from an
assassination attempt on the army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai,
whose convoy was passing by, an internal military document seen by Human
Rights Watch, the army said protesters appeared to be taking up positions
near the back of the convoy.
Bakele said: “The Nigerian military’s version of events does not stack up.
It is almost impossible to see how a roadblock by angry young men could
justify the killings of hundreds of people. At best it was a brutal
overreaction and at worst it was a planned attack on the minority Shiitte
group.”
“Characterizing this terrible carnage against Shiites in Zaria as ‘a
military affair’ is shocking. “President Buhari should ensure the
military’s appalling track record of serious human rights abuses is halted
and does not continue under his term in office.”
He called on federal government to make the udicial Commission of Inquiry
it set up to be sufficiently independent and impartial to hold those
responsible to account.