Shiites blast FG over alleged attack, persecution of members

The Shiite Muslim Community in Nigeria, under the umbrella of the All-Ja’fariyah Development Association (AJDA), has criticised the federal government over the alleged attack and persecution of its members in the country.

According to the group, the Shia Muslim Community in Nigeria is compelled to address the persistent persecution of Shias in Nigeria. Despite being a peaceful and law-abiding community, Shias have faced relentless attacks, harassment, and discrimination.

In a statement by the National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Hassan, on Monday, the Shiites dissociated themselves from banditry and terrorism, stating that despite this, the government continued to hunt the Shiites in Nigeria.

Hassan said: “Shias are not useful idiots or criminals who engage in banditry and terrorism on behalf of foreign interests and enemies of our country, unlike some groups used by these enemies. These forces employ bandits for kidnapping, killing, and displacing communities, exploiting resources for their sponsors.

“Shias are not Boko Haram, who create insecurity by killing innocent people, taking over lands of innocent and poor Nigerians, and driving away inhabitants of resource-rich societies to secure and preserve these resources for their trainers and armers. Shias are not stooges of leaders or countries used by globalists to usurp resources and impose ideologies that support genocide, in the name of Islam or excommunication.

However, the spokesman of the Shiite group explained that one other crime of the Shias is holding on to the School of Thought of the holy Prophet (SAW) and his pure progeny that abhors disunity, bloodshed, and all forms of crimes against humanity, “as opposed to the School of Thought of our decades-long persecutors, who are known for issuing false religious verdicts to call for the killings of the Shias.”

The group said: “It is on record that these two groups, Boko Haram and bandits, have killed hundreds of Nigeria’s innocent, patriotic, and gallant security forces that genuinely go to battle them to secure the nation. But, surprisingly, the terrorists are not treated by the same security forces or seen by them as threats to the country; instead, they are busy profiling the Shias, who are all known as victims of both the terrorists and the security forces, as the only threats to national security.

“In fact, another worrisome development about the government’s handling of these criminals is the way their known ideologues and supporters among scholars are, surprisingly, being offered juicy appointments in President Tinubu’s government, as started by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
“If the Shias in Nigeria were like bandits and Boko Haram groups, who are busy committing all forms of crimes against humanity or adopting the ideology of excommunicators, like ISIS, ISWAP, etc., to whom Boko Haram owes their allegiance, the lives of the Shias would have been spared in Nigeria today, and they would have been on the payroll of those killing them with impunity.

“We urge the President Tinubu government to heed the recent call on him by a human rights and civil society organisation to avoid repeating the 2015 massacre of Shias in Zaria, simply because they are a minority Muslim religious group.

“We also call on the government to desist from sponsoring Boko Haram ideologues suddenly turned sponsored public affairs analysts to feature on media outlets, such as Vision FM, owned by pathological enemies of the Shias, to spread fabricated lies and hatred against the Shias.

“Some of these media outlets were the ones the perpetrators of the 2015 Zaria massacre paid to run unethical programs to smear the name of the Shias using a false claim that they blocked the road for General Tukur Burutai, a reason the army hid under to kill thousands of Shias, burying and burning hundreds of them alive, the majority of whom were women and children, who were later dumped in mass graves in different locations in Kaduna State.

“We want to remind the government, which seems to be planning to carry out a drama similar to that of 2015, that the Shias have the Almighty Allah, who they rely on and pray to, to avenge for them any injustice done to them.

“We strongly reject and view the continuous persecution of the Shias, under whatever guise or fabricated acronym, because of their minority status, to please certain local interests or foreign powers, as having the potential of destroying Nigeria’s diplomatic image. In fact, it will only lead to further instability and tarnish Nigeria’s international reputation.

“We, therefore, demand an immediate end to the persecution of Shias, and call on the government to protect the rights and freedoms of all citizens, regardless of their religious affiliation.”