By AbdulRaheem Aodu
Kaduna
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state, has expressed intention to make the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the 2015 clash between the Nigerian Army and the Shiites available to the public in the interest of transparency.
The disclosure came as a Lagos lawyer and counsel to the Shi’ite group, Femi Falana, demanded that the soldiers involved in the December 2015 clash in Zaria be prosecuted for allegedly murdering 347 members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).
The governor, who spoke at the weekend after receiving reports of the Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba-led Kaduna State Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the fracas, noted that the report had been classified top secret, but the security implication of the report would be evaluated before making it public.
He said: “The Kaduna state government expected to receive the final report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry six weeks after its first public sitting.
But, following requests from the commission, extensions had to be granted to enable all relevant parties appear before the Inquiry. The commission decided not to compel attendance, opting for adjournments to encourage appearance.
“I assure you all that this Final Report will be diligently studied to ensure that the lessons are properly digested, the appropriate White Paper conveying government decisions on the recommendations of the Inquiry is issued promptly and the necessary follow-up actions are taken. In the last three and half decades, Kaduna state has suffered too much from at least 10 rounds of ethnic and religious violence,” the governor stated.
Continuing, El-rufai said: “We hope that the Inquiry process and the Final Report will help ensure that the legacy of violent disorder and the catastrophic toll in lives and property, are firmly consigned to the past.
“In the interest of transparency, the Kaduna state government intended to make the Final Report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Zaria clashes available to the public in the shortest possible time, even while the White Paper process is ongoing.
“Noting that the report has been classified Top Secret, we shall evaluate the security implication before making the report public.
“Making the report available to the public is but a natural consequence of the decision to subject the Zaria events to an inquiry. We have no interest other than the solemn duty to uphold law and order, ensure security and protect the lives and rights of our citizens.”
Earlier, chairman of the panel, Justice Garba, said they received 3, 500 memoranda within and outside the state during the sittings, adding that one of the parties, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, failed to appear before the panel for reasons best known to them even as a counsel to the sect had participated at the commencement of its sitting.