The
Making Of Another Deadly Insurgency In Nigeria Via State Repression And
Radicalization Of Shiite Muslim Worship: Why Buhari, Buratai And
El-Rufai Must Be Stopped Before It Is Too Late
Our heart is saddened over the failure
of the civilian Government of Gen Muhammadu Buhari to learn from history
so as to avoid further triggering of societal anarchy and plunging the
Federal Republic of Nigeria into a state of unquenchable and intractable
human tragedies. The Buhari Administration has become so destructive
that most, if not all of the democratic gains, values and consolidations
made over the years particularly since 1999 have virtually disappeared
or collapsed. The worst of it all is that Nigeria has lost its
“conscience of the nation” (CSOs, rights activists and media) to Buhari
Administration’s entrenched governance rascality and brigandage.
Regime Atrocities such as state killings
and terrorism are now labelled “fight against corruption” and even
tolerated and condoned in the community of CSOs. Human rights activists
have become Human rights Destroyers and activist lawyers have turned to
agents of darkness and promoters of anarchy; to the extent of advising
Gen Muhammadu Buhari to “suspend rule of law for one year in order to
fight corruption”. DARKNESS HAS BEFALLEN NIGERIA!!
Throughout the histories of the old and
the new, rational territorial political leaderships had avoided
triggering off widespread conflicts territorially or off territorially,
while the irrational ones got drenched and consumed. Democratically
speaking, avoidance of territorial violent conflicts is ensured at all
times by rigidly sticking to the policies of good governance and rule of
law; negative peace or absence of violence against innocent citizens; and positive peace
or absence of structural violence (i.e. political and religious
tolerance and inclusion; respect for identity values, political
representation as well as equal access to power and resources).
As the saying goes: democracy
may not be the best form of government but since the best form of
government is yet to be found; democracy remains the best. Among the best modern theories of violence is Democratic Theory of Violence; which sacredly holds that Democracies do not or hardly go to war (violent conflicts) internally or externally except as a last resort, as case may be. Any democratic territory that chooses militarism and militarization as its cornerstone, as Gen Muhammadu Buhari has done, is a government in pieces.
Further, China as one of the oldest countries in the world, dating back to over 3000 BC; during which its Legist School of Jurisprudence existed; sacredly sees conflict as an opportunity to change;
meaning that conflict is naturally inevitable and becomes violent if
irrationally and beastly managed; and constructive and transformative if
rationally and conscientiously managed. Naturally speaking, just as agriculture and crime gave birth to today’s world and its institutions including government; so did foetal protest gave
birth to childhood development and intra and inter personal dispute;
which in turn, when ill-managed, gave birth to conflict; which further
gave birth to violent conflicts or wars as we have them today; if poorly
or destructively managed.
By modern military or war science, war
(now called violent conflict under UN System) is any widespread lethal
action against a population by a group involving the death of more than 999 persons.
Violent conflict levied against a civilian or unarmed population by
reason of their ethnic, political or religious identities; is regarded
as heinous international crimes or crimes against humanity as well as fundamental breach of the Principles and Purposes of the United Nations.
On the other hand, if levied against an asymmetric or weaker armed target population, in total disregard to the Laws of War or Geneva Conventions of 1949 and its Protocols such
as widespread attacks on non-military objects like women, the elderly,
children, and other civilian populations, their dwelling, working or
leisure facilities as well as places of worship; this is expressly
regarded War Crimes.
The advocacy and technical analysis
above is to bring to the fore the unwarranted, unprovoked, coordinated
and systematic repression and radicalization of the Shiite Muslim
worship in Nigeria by the intolerant Government of Gen Muhammadu Buhari,
coordinated by the trio of Gen Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Nasiru
El-Rufai; the violent Governor of Kaduna State and Lt. Gen Turkur
Buratai; the killer Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Apart from the fact that
the Muslim body has lost over 1000 of its unarmed and innocent members
including women and children, to the Administration of Gen Muhammadu
Buhari; a radical Sunni Muslim apologist, buildings and sacred places of
worship belonging to the body or the “Islamic Movement of Nigeria or
IMN”, have also been reduced to rubbles.
The leader of the Movement, Sheik Ibrahim ZakyZaky, was terminally shot and battered on 14th
of December 2015 by soldiers on the orders of the COAS, Lt Gen Turkur
Buratai. Sheik Zaky Zaky was shot and battered when his house was raided
and set ablaze. According to IMN sources, at least 18 shot bullets were
removed from his body and he has gone almost blind. His wife, Mrs.
Malama Zeenatu was also shot severally, leading to laceration of her
body and removal of at least six bullets from her body. Their three
sons: Hammad, Ali Haydar and Humaid were shot and killed on the spot and
in the presence of their deadly battered parents. Other three sons of
Sheik ZakyZaky: Ahmad, Hameed and Mahmud had earlier been shot and
killed by soldiers in 2014; leaving him and his wife with only three
surviving children; Muhammad (first and only surviving son), Nusaiba and
Suhaila (daughters).
The State violence under reference was unleashed on them on 12th and 14th
of December 2015, leading to the death of over 800 members of the
Movement and destruction of its sacred place of worship. Sheik Ibrahim
ZakyZaky and her injured wife were taken into solitary confinement and
detained incommunicado since 14th of December 2015 till date.
They have not been charged or tried or released since then. The above
regime atrocity has never happened in the history of democracy in
Nigeria or any part thereof. The Government of Kaduna State also
admitted burying 347 of murdered IMN members in mass graves. Till date,
no single perpetrator including Lt Gen Turkur Buratai has been arrested
and prosecuted. The world has also slumbered in silence and inaction;
aiding and abetting regime atrocities, thereby encouraging citizen militancy and reprisal violence or uprising or insurgency.
As if these were not enough, repression
and radicalization of Shiite Muslim worship took another dangerous
dimension in early October 2016 when the Government of Kaduna State
issued an illegitimate, illegal and unconstitutional Executive
Proclamation, declaring the IMN illegal and unlawful society. The ban
has further been extended to other States such as Plateau and Kano
States; which explains our position that the regime atrocities are
sponsored and aided by the Buhari’s Presidency. The Kaduna State
Government; backed by the Buhari Administration, also went ahead and
instigated mob attacks against members of the Islamic Movement of
Nigeria, leading to the death of at least 25 of its members in the past
one week.
Between 22 and 25 deaths or more have
been recorded on the side of IMN and some of its important educational
facilities were also torched or destroyed. For instant, two IMN members
were killed in Kano, eleven in Katsina, four in Kaduna, five in Plateau,
among a number of others who died as a result of terminal injuries they
sustained following the military and police shootings and Government
sponsored mob attacks. Scores of IMN members were also critically
injured. Many, if not most of the killings were perpetrated by the Army
and the Police and their perpetrators are still on the prowl.
Over 100 members of IMN were also
arrested particularly in Kano State where at least 46 females and 40
males were arrested and taken into police and prison custodies and
detained till date. Scores of others were arrested in Plateau State and
detained. The arrests started since 10th of October 2016 and
have continued. Among the arrested are juveniles who were sent to
prisons but were rejected by prison authorities, leading to their
detention in police cells till date. Despite the fact that spurious
charges preferred against them (i.e. unlawful assemblies, breach of
public peace, etc) are lightly or administratively bailable, they have
been held for a period of seven days without bail or release.
We have carefully followed and studied
the developments above highlighted and found no grounds whatsoever to
lend credence to the Government crackdown other than sheer intra
religious hatred, pursuit of vendetta and attempts to cow and intimidate
the leadership of IMN and its members so as to escape responsibilities
for heinous crimes against the Movement and its members; having
slaughtered in a broad day light and under two days (12th and 14th of December 2015) of over 800 of its members and destruction of its sacred places of worship.
The grounds upon which the Government of
Kaduna State, as directed by the Presidency, predicated its recent
unconstitutional action of declaring IMN “unlawful society” and its
consequent crackdown, are totally at variance with the provisions of the
1999 Constitution particularly its Sections 38 and 40. IMN as it is
today in Nigeria, is not a violent religious body or a group involved in
violent uprising or insurgency. This is more so when the Shiite Muslim
body has just marked 40 years of its existence in Nigeria with no
records of group violence or insurgency. Till date, there is no concrete
evidence or State records linking the IMN to any form of violent
uprising or insurgency in Nigeria or any part thereof.
Violence, till date, and in the world
over, is measured by its gravity and proportionality. Nonviolent and
peaceful religious processions, leading to occasional traffic gridlock
on public roads can never constitute grounds for deployment of State
brute or repressive force culminating into the massacre of over 800
citizens including women and children in a broad day light. Blockage of
public roads during religious processions is as old as Islam in Nigeria
particularly in northern parts of the country.
It is also one of the dark marks of the
northern ruling oligarchy, dating back to 60s and 70s long before the
coming of Shiite Islamism in Nigeria in 1976. Till date, strategic
Federal Roads are blocked for hours every Friday by leading northern
political leaders such as Gen Muhammadu Buhari, Nasiru El-Rufai and Lt
Gen Turkur Buratai, claiming that they are exercising their right to freedom of religion, thought and conscience. Why should the same State now around and selectively deploy brute force and violence against members of the Shiite or IMN?
The allegation levelled by the
Government of Kaduna State and its Federal backers to the effect that
the IMN “intends to take up arms against Nigeria by maintaining a
paramilitary body” is also an extension of criminalization,
stigmatization, falsehood and propaganda policies of the Buhari
Administration, which it has extensively used and sustained against
dissent citizens and bodies since late May 2015 when it came to
Nigeria’s Presidency. Under the law (i.e. Private Guards Act of 1986)
and by convention, unarmed but uniform paramilitaries are allowed
including within religious bodies.
In the Catholic Church, for instance,
there exists Boys Scout, Man O’ War, Catholic Mobile Security of
Nigeria, etc; so also in Anglican Church, which has Boys Brigade and
Girls Guild, etc. Even the Nigerian Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
are also known as paramilitary bodies in Nigeria. The IMN’s “HURRAS”;
derived from Arabic word, meaning “civilian security guards”, cannot be
an exception, provided they are not bearing firearms contrary to Section
214 of the 1999 Constitution. These paramilitaries are merely used to
maintain orderliness and other skeletal security and humanitarian
services within their religious bodies or localities as case may be.
Our decision to take up this informed
advocacy position is to advise and caution Gen Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam
Nasiru El-Rufai and Lt Gen Turkur Bruatai and their co-travellers in Yorean Violence
to retrace their dangerous steps particularly as they concern the
renewed violent crackdown on unarmed and innocent members of the IMN in
Nigeria. Beyond the peaceful conducts of 6m-10m IMN followers in the
country despite State’s systematic attacks and repression directed at
the Movement, the group’s affiliates beyond the shores of Nigeria are
not a push over when it comes to reprisal violence and insurgency.
It is also important and advisable for those behind the ongoing
religious persecution of Shiite Muslims in the country to carefully
study history particularly the Iranian Revolution of 1979 as well as the Hezbollah Uprising in Lebanon and Anarchic State of things in Iraq.
These explain why we maintain that the
ongoing religious persecution of Shiites in Nigeria by way of violent
crackdown, ban and radicalization of their religious practices are the
making of new deadly insurgency in Nigeria. Right to Freedom of Worship and Religion
is the oldest human rights in the world. It predates Biblical, Koranic
and Mosaic eras. It is through this that Jesus Christ came by way of
birth around BC 001 and left around AD 33, leading to the birth of his
Church around AD 35. Prophet Mohammed, too, came on account of it, by
his birth in 570 AD and departure in 632 AD. As the first human rights,
right to freedom of religion was codified as far back as AD 304 by a
Roman Catholic Pope.
Its sanctity is unrivalled at all times
and it is suicidal to attempt to suppress and repress citizens on
account of their religious beliefs and practices and tribal identities.
When the collective value identities of a population or group are
systematically and rapaciously threatened by the repressive State, the
target group can go radical and to any length in defense and
preservation of such priceless group values.
The conspiracy of silence presently
maintained by the international community must be broken now before it
is too late. The international community must call Gen Muhammadu Buhari
and his security commanders as well as the violent Governor of Kaduna
State to order. All members of IMN arrested and detained including
scores of juveniles and married women must be freed unconditionally.
Finally, we wish to extend our deep felt
condolences to the leadership of IMN and its followers over the recent
lost of scores of its members to Buhari’s State violence and call upon
them to remain nonviolent and continue to explore available local,
regional and international remedies to bring to justice the trio of
Buhari, El-Rufai and Buratai and other perpetrators of regime atrocities
no matter how long it takes. The IMN must resist and forestall at all
times the ongoing panicky moves by the trio to intimidate it into
abandoning its quest to get them account for regime atrocities committed
against its unarmed and defenceless members.
Signed:
Emeka Umeagbalasi,
Board Chairman
International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org
Board Chairman
International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org
Obianuju Igboeli, Esq., LLB, BL; LLM (c)
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Program
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Program
Chinwe Umeche, Esq., LLB, BL
Head, Democracy & Good Governance Program
Head, Democracy & Good Governance Program
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