Members of Mu’assatu Abul Fadl Abbas wing of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria under the leadership of Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky accused the Nigerian soldiers of abducting more than
fifty girls during the Zaria massacre which claimed the lives of more
than a thousand members of the movement. Many of the victims according
to Batula Muazu, the spokeswoman for “Bring Back Our Zaria Girls,” are
students, married women and civil servants.
In a protest staged in front of the Human Right Commission
headquarters in Abuja, Batula Muazu who was speaking on behalf of the
activists said it is nearly tenth month since the Nigerian Army
attacked Hussainiyya Baqiyyatullah and laid siege to the residential
area of Shaikh Zakzaky, and they are unjustifiably being detained
without charge which is contrary to the universal charter for human
rights which banned keeping a person incommunicado without charge.
In a petition submitted to the commission, the campaign group called
for the immediate release of the Zaria girls, Shaikh Zakzaky, wife
Malama Zeenatudden and hundreds of his followers are denied of any
right and detained for nearly tenth month without legal reason .
They also called for the prosecution of army officers who were
complicit in the zaria massacre and the activists vowed not to stop
campaigning for justice until their members are released and the army
officers involved in the massacre are brought to book.
The petition was handed over to a staff of the commission Mr. Ochi
Oborawa stated that every citizen has right to life and no reason will
be given to justify the killing of people in Zaria. He finally rearmed
his commission to look into the reports of human right violations in
the massacre.
