Over two years of incarnation on without formal charges, Sheikh Ibraheem El Zakzaky is still being held in spite of a court order, asking for his release more than 10 months ago.
In addition on, neither his counsel nor the top echelon of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria(IMN) has had access to the Shiite leader, prompting his followers to boycott the Kaduna State Judicial Commission of Inquiry which was instituted last year.
Similarly, the group also reportedly shunned the Presidential Investigative Panel that was set up to look at the various human rights abuses perpetrated by the military.
Last week, IMN reviewed its stand and submited a memorandum to the panel.
In this interview, the President of IMN’s Media Forum, Malam Ibrahim Musa explains to IBRAHEM MUSA why the group had a change of heart and he also spoke on Zakzaky’s state of health
Earlier, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria(IMN) had pledged not to submit any memorandum to the Presidential Investigative Panel that is investigating human rights abuses by the military.
Why did your group have a change of heart?
We never said we won’t submit any memo to the Presidential Investigative Panel.
We wrote a letter to the then acting President who set up the panel and noted our concerns and expressed our doubts about the motive of setting up the panel at this point in time.
We noted the composition was not done to ensure fair play and justice.
We asked how the panel would be seen to be just, without giving our leader the chance to make his presentation.
We pointed out that the military had been indicted by an earlier investigation commission, even without our participation in Kaduna.
We also noted that Kaduna state government officials had confessed to participating in digging and burying hundreds of our members killed by the military in mass grave and yet nothing was done as if it was not a severe crime against humanity.
Finally, we observed that the military had not cooperated much in previous investigations beyond denials and desperate attempts at distorting the facts.
Consequently, we wondered what was going to be different in the present enquiry.
This same letter, we published as advertorials in some newspapers.
There was nowhere we said we would not appear before the panel.
We usually have our condition for participating in such inquiries and that is principally to have access to the Sheikh.
That condition was partly fulfilled with the granting of access to Sheikh Zakzaky to his principal lawyer, Barrister Femi Falana(SAN) some days ago.
It was only the second time in nearly two years of incarceration that lawyers were allowed to see him.
Thus, we submitted the memo.
Technically it was not a change in heart in any way as you referred to it, since we never actually stated whether or not we would appear before the panel.
But in a petition dated August 17 and signed by Abdullahi Danladi, IMN said it will not appear before the panel because of certain concerns bordering on the impartially of the inquiry. Are you denying the newspaper report?
Yes we deny the newspaper report that we said we will not appear before the panel.
The reporters of the story were just being sensational.
But if you read the letter carefully nowhere did we mention of boycotting the panel like we did that of Kaduna state government.
We just raised some concerns we harbor about the panel as I explained earlier.
I will even forward the letter we wrote to the then Acting President to you, so that you can verify our position on the matter.
Does it mean that the doubt that you earlier expressed about the fairness of the panel has been addressed? Our doubts and reservations remain.
We submitted the memo so that at least we would state our case and the world would be a witness and it is left for the panel to make history in upholding truth and justice or embrace tyranny and persecution.
Our doubts remain however on whether this particular panel is sufficiently independent.
But don’t you think that sending a memo one month after the panel commenced sitting is a wrong strategy? There is no wrong strategy in submitting the memo “late.
” We, as a matter of necessity, had to have access to the Sheikh before any memo could be submitted.
This was achieved through Barrister Falana lately.
When it was achieved was the time when we submitted.
Did the panel agree to receive the memo after the expiration of the deadline for submissions? The memo was successfully submitted.
There wasn’t any issue of deadline.
In fact the panel is yet to sit in Kaduna as we are talking now.
Mention the names of the close ally of the Army Chief and the member who was at the earlier Kaduna State Commission of Inquiry, that you raised concern over their membership of the panel.
I can’t disclose the names here, but the authorities know whom we are referring to.
Can you give me an insight into the content of your memo to the panel? The memo detailed all that has been done against Islamic Movement by the military.
We have lined up our surviving victims of the genocide that will give evidence at the sitting of the panel in Kaduna.
The details surrounding the complicity of Kaduna state government in burying 347 members of IMN in a mass grave at Mando cemetery as detailed by the Secretary to the Government at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry sitting was also included.
Even though the state government had hurriedly demolished and cleared Sheikh Zakzaky’s house and our Islamic Centre of any debris, there is sufficient evidence to buttress our assertion that IMN is the biggest victim of human rights violation and abuses by the Buhari administration and specifically by its Army.
What was the state of Zakzaky’s health when IMN lawyer him? His state of health is still not optimal or in the best of forms.
He still would require medical attention.
Imagine the state of a 60 year old two years after he had been shot at close range several times, having lost one of his eyes and with no proper medical attention given to him, even though a court of law had ordered his release.
We believe by his continued detention, the government wants him dead, but Allah the Almighty is sparing his life.
Last February, IMN cried out that Zakzaky may go blind if he was not allowed to be examined by his doctors.
Was that request granted? The request wasn’t granted as I’m speaking to you.
It’s unfortunate that this government is bent on creating an avoidable crisis in the country.
There is no justifi cation in denying Sheikh Zakzaky the right to look after his health.
The government just wishes him dead, but Allah spares him.
We are still praying to the Almighty on the persecution we are witnessing under this regime.
So from what you are saying, it is not true that he was fl own by government to Dubai for medical treatment as widely rumoured at some point? You know this government thrives on lies to the public.
So we heard that he had been taken to Dubai for treatment in the aftermath of the Zaria genocide.
But it’s fake news to deceive the public.
He was treated poorly at 44 Army reference hospital in Kaduna.
That’s all that we know to date.
If at all they are serious in seeing him regain his health, the government should just obey the court order, set him free so that he can take care of his health needs which he needs seriously
