Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has called on the International
\nCriminal Court (ICC), Amnesty International and other world bodies to
\ninvestigate the murder of members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN)
\notherwise known as Shi\u2019ite Muslim group in Zaria, Kaduna state and Kano
\nState, as well as the ongoing killings in the Southern Kaduna.<\/p>\n
The governor described the detention since last year December, of the
\nleader of the Shi\u2019ite sect, Ibrahim Zakzaky, and some of his members as
\ninhuman, clear contravention of his fundamental human rights, and an
\naffront on the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, saying; \u201call well-meaning
\nNigerians must prevail on the federal government to release Ibrahim
\nZakzaky without further delay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reacting to the latest onslaught of the Shi\u2019ite Muslims in Kano State,
\nwhich reportedly led to the death of over 10 people, Governor Fayose, who
\nspoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New
\nMedia, Lere Olayinka, said; \u201cmurder of over 300 Nigerians, who are members
\nof the IMN in one day and their burial in mass graves, as well as
\ncontinuous murder of the Shi\u2019ite sect should attract the attention of the
\nICC.\u201d<\/p>\n
The governor said he was worried that firearms, which should only be used
\nas a last resort, are now being used to prevent Nigerians from expressing
\ntheir religious faith, adding that; \u201cUnder international human rights law
\ngoverning the use of firearms during policing operations, the intentional
\nuse of lethal force is only permitted when strictly unavoidable, to
\nprotect life.\u201d<\/p>\n
He described the detention of Ibrahim Zakzaky, since last year December as
\nunjustifiable, saying; \u201cIn a month time, it will be exactly one year since
\nIbrahim Zakzaky was arrested and detained without trial. This is
\nunacceptable in a democratic society where there should be strict
\nadherence to the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Governor Fayose also express worries over the persistent killings in the
\nSouthern Kaduna where four communities were invaded and over 30 persons,
\nincluding pregnant women and children killed this week alone. Regrettably,
\nfederal government has kept mute.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDemocracy guarantees freedom of religion, movement, association,
\nopinions and thoughts. It is however worrisome that inspite of these
\ninalienable rights, members of the Shi\u2019ite Muslim sect are still being
\npersecuted and alienated.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, the ICC, Amnesty International and other relevant
\ninternational organisations must intervene in the killings of the Shi\u2019ite
\nMuslim group with the aim of bringing those found culpable to justice,
\nthereby putting a permanent stop to the inhuman acts,\u201d the governor said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC), Amnesty International and other world bodies to investigate the murder of members of Islamic Movement of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n