Zaria Clash: Islamic Groups Differ With Shi’te

Yakubu Busari

Against the backdrop of Saturday attack in Zaria,  leaders of   Islamic Organizations  have condemned in its  strong term the ambush  on the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Burutai. The group differ their opinion with that of  Shi`te group in the country.

In  a press conference on Sunday  in Jos, deputy leader of the group in Plateau, who is a member of national committee on education of the movement , Sheik Ibrahim Suleiman Galadima explained  that the attack on General Burutai was“ a ploy by high level of Military Officers and some traditional rulers in Zazzau Emirate Council who want to crush the activities of the movement“.

He said that “the attack was a conspiracy and a pre- planned agenda to destroy the image of the movement“.

According to him,  it is lamentable  the continuation of extra-judicial killing of its members by the Nigerian government .

He called on the government to set up an independent panel of inquiry to investigate the incident and make its findings public.

Galadima denied the involvement of members of Shi’ate movement in the attempted assassination of the COAS, adding “We believe that the nature and style of the arrival of advance military team to the area speaks volumes of hiding agenda against the movement and are questionable.

“We are equally calling general Burutai and the military to investigate the incident within their folds”.

He also called on international human right groups to intervene and seeks redress for the victims and “as many innocent people are unjustifiable killed and others severely injured”.

Debunking the footages being used in the media alleging to be the members of the movement.

“The footages peddle out in the media are pictures of some miscreants carrying weapons and not our members”

However, the secretary of Jama atul izatul bid`a wa ikamatul sunnah in plateau state, Shiek Alhassan Sa`eed has lamented over the activities of the group for“disregard to the constituent Authority and insistent in doing what they wished“.

He condemned their violent method in doing protest over their grievances even when the group is wrong.

The Islamic Scholar decried the attitude of the group for partaking in the election process or even voting in the country, saying that such wrong.

He said the group are showing their hatred to Prophet Muhammed and his traditions without due regard to the feelings of other Muslims in the country. According to him, they are wrong in most of their approaches thereby provoking   other Muslim in the country.

He called on the government never to allow the movement of the group who are  opposed to all Nigeria.