The Sisters Forum of the Islamic
Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise called the Shi’ite sect, yesterday alleged
that soldiers tortured and defiled its members before killing them.
It said this occurred during the clash
between the Shi’ite and soldiers in Zaria.
A top military source, who preferred
anonymity, said the allegation was senseless, adding that it was impossible for
anybody to attempt to rape during “exchange of gunshots.”
He said: “You will agree with me that a
man cannot be aroused, let alone think of rape during exchange of fire. So, the
allegation is senseless.”
Members of the forum called for the release of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem
El-Zakzaky and his wife, as well as their husbands and children.
The women stormed the secretariat of
the Nigeria Union of Journalist, Kaduna State Council, to protest the alleged
unlawful detention of their leader, husbands and children.
The Secretary, Hajia Aisha Hassan, who
wept as she addressed reporters, said the authorities were insensitive to their
plight by detaining their leader and not allowing access to him.
She alleged: “Some of the women were
raped before being killed. Women and children have become widows and orphans.
“It is now over three weeks since the
Army launched a brutal attack on members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria,
killing over 1,000 people in Zaria after over 27 hours of shooting and bombing.
“These demonic acts perpetrated by
soldiers have not only raised their human rights abuse record, but have also
turned women into widows, children into orphans and wiped out families.
“The soldiers molested our members and
removed their hijab, which is a violation of Islamic right.
“These were followed by propaganda by
the government and Army to portray the movement and its leader in bad light,
thereby instigating sectarian sentiment and creating tension.
“Although we are aware that it is a
deliberate attempt to intimidate and instigate us into violence, we will never
resort to anything outside the legal process of seeking redress. This is
evident in the way we acted last year when soldiers attacked our members and
killed 34 of them, including three sons of our leader.
“Now that they have killed another
three, we remain undaunted, calm and resolute.”
Hajia Hassan urged the government to
pay diyya (death compensation) to the
bereaved, adding that the bodies of their members should be released for burial
according to Islamic rites.
The General Officer Commanding 1 Mechanized Division is billed to address reporters today.
Source: The Nation
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