Kaduna government Shiites trade words over clash in Kaduna metropolis

The members of the outlawed Islamic group, Shiites, have accused Kaduna State Government of unleashing attack on the members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) while on peaceful procession in the State. But, the Governor had earlier warned against mob action against individuals or group, urging the inhabitants in the state to desist from taking laws into their hands. The warning by the State Government came on the heels of the casualty suffered by the Shiites while on procession last Wednesday.

However, in a statement yesterday by the spokesman of IMN, Mallam Ibrahim Musa, he said, “Kaduna state government was reported to have issued a warning to residents in Kaduna not to take laws into their hands but clearly, this is an afterthought. What happened in the wake of our peaceful Ashura mourning procession was a carefully planned plot, meticulously executed with all machinery of government”.

The Shiites spokesman argued “his (the Governor) utterances and body language since then left no one in doubt his disdain for IMN members. Using all the tools of governance at his disposal, in private and openly, often in total disregard to reason, sanity or law, he exhibited extreme hate for IMN”.

“We call on the relevant authorities to as a matter of urgency to release our incarcerated leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and those in detention with him.

This, we believe will be a major step in doing justice to the victims of Zaria massacre of December 2015”. Meanwhile, in a statement by the Media aide to the Governor, Samuel Aruwan, “The Kaduna State Government has warned against mob action against any individuals or groups under any guise throughout the state. There are designated agencies vested with the duty of law enforcement, and citizens cannot usurp their roles; rather it is the duty of all citizens to report infractions of the law and help to prevent or detect crime.

There can be no recourse to self-help. Only constituted authority and security agencies have the statutory right and the constitutional mandate to enforce compliance to the law. Every resident of Kaduna State has the right to the constitutional freedoms outlined in Sections 38 and 40.”