*PRESS RELEASE*
Our attention has been drawn to a press statement signed by one SP Josephine Adeh, the PRO FCT Police Command, alleging that Arba’een mourners killed two police officers on duty and rendered three others unconscious when they attacked the annual Arbaeen trek in Abuja earlier today. This statement is false, fabricated, and misleading. And we would like to set the record straight.
The Arbaeen Trek is a religious event that takes place annually to mark the 40th day of remembrance of the martyrdom of the grandson of the Holy Prophet, who was killed in the plains of Karbala, alongside his family and companions.
It’s an event that is attended by people from all walks of life—Muslims and non-Muslims alike—because the sacrifice of Imam Hussein (as) is a pivotal moment that changes human history and transcends race, religion, or ethnicity.
This year’s Arbaeen procession commenced peacefully until when the police forces appeared out of nowhere, armed to the-teeth and opened fire on innocent citizens exercising their legal rights. They gravely wounded hundreds, arrested so many others, and killed scores of our brothers and sisters. In the process, they also killed their colleagues, who were apparently hit by their stray bullets as they were shooting indiscriminately.
As if that were not enough, a team of combined security forces later in the evening trooped to a guest house in Suleja, where our brothers and sisters used to reside, and opened fire unprovoked. The attack happened around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 25, 2024, at a guest house located behind Kwata in Suleja town, Niger State. At the time of compiling this report, an eyewitness confirmed that the police had set fire to a car parked at the entrance of the house, vandalised many valuable facilities, and also attempted to burn down the house, but their efforts were thwarted. The report also confirmed that the police fired indiscriminately at the people present at the scene and arrested dozens of people present at the scene.
It could be recalled that in July 2019, a similar incident occurred where the police forces attacked a peaceful #FreeZakzaky procession and killed their colleague in the process, but later blamed the Islamic movement for it. But an autopsy report later revealed that he was indeed killed by a stray bullet, and they were ordered by a court of law to pay ransom to his family.
We wish to draw the attention of the general public to the fact that the activists of the Islamic movement are unarmed and defenseless. We do not carry any form of weaponry. Therefore, we reject and condemn the statement from the PRO FCT Police Command in its entirety. It’s a statement aimed at scapegoating the movement as well as seeking cheap public sympathy that will allow them to carry out even further atrocities against defenceless civilians.
The same security agents who should supposedly protect the lives of citizens of the country are the ones who, in broad daylight, murder them in cold blood. At the same time, they fail to maintain order and provide security in various parts of the country ravaged by political and civil unrest, as well as such acts of insecurity as banditry and kidnapping. Their show of power is always on innocent and defenceless civilians, while they let terrorists and criminals roam freely.
We wish to maintain that attacking our gathering is illegal and unconstitutional. It is an infringement on our fundamental rights to liberty and freedom of expression as citizens of Nigeria.
We fear that our brothers and sisters arrested will be tortured, and those who sustain various degrees of injuries will be denied access to the urgent, proper medical attention they require.
We condemn this act of violence meted out against our brothers and sisters. We call upon relevant authorities to call these security forces to order and ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice.
*Sheikh Sidi Munir Mainasara, Sokoto*
For the Islamic movement under the leadership of his eminence Sayyid Ibraheem Ya’qoub El-Zakzaky (H),
*25 August, 2024*
