Shiites knock Buhari’s ‘successful failure’, say group stronger despite killings of members

Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites, has said killings of its members and poor economic policies were among factors responsible for “successful failure” of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“The Resource Forum of the Islamic Movement has added the killings and suppression of Shiites as another dimension to various reasons adjudged as having caused massive failure of the Buhari administration, as it winds up its eight-year tenure,” said a statement by Head of the Forum, Prof. Abdullahi Danladi.

He said: “Many theories have been put forward for the miscarriage of Buhari in delivering Nigeria to the Promised Land. Some attribute it to lack of professionalism in selecting his cabinet and ill-conceived policies.

“Some saw nepotism and lack of will to checkmate bizarre corrupt activities of government officials. All these could be contributory factors in the unforgivable and successful failure of the Buhari administration. However, there can be another dimension to the theories.”

Danladi explained: “It is no more news that between December 12 and 15, 2015, Buhari let loose his trigger-happy Nigerian Army, which went on a killing spree in Zaria. This action has written his name and that of Nigeria on the black pages of human history. Over a thousand unarmed people, including babies, lactating mothers with their children, old people and promising youths were killed.

“The house of Sheikh Zakzaky was burnt and demolished…with his 70-year-old elder sister. Copies of the Holy Quran were destroyed, alongside other religious books. Similarly, the Fudiya Islamic Centre and Husainiyya Baqiyatullah, all in Zaria, were ransacked, burnt and demolished. The bodies of martyrs were dumped in mass graves, along with some injured that were still alive.”

He added: “Now that the game is over for Buhari and his cohorts, let us ask: what have you achieved in the killings you supervised? To what extent have you succeeded in eliminating the Shiites? Have you been able to curtail the spread of Shia in Nigeria? Yes, you have killed a few thousand. How does that compare with the population of the Shia in Nigeria?”

“Your crime has succeeded in making the Islamic Movement more popular in Nigeria and beyond. Many people who were hitherto oblivious or ignorant of the call and mission of Sheikh Zakzaky have now come to understand and identify with him and the Movement.”

IMN also rejected recent apology by Buhari, saying: “The call for forgiveness, to say the least, is absurd.”