The Islamic Movement in Nigeria has confirmed the killing of at least four of its members at Zuba, in the outskirts of Abuja by some soldiers.
A statement from Ibrahim Musa, President Media Forum of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria on Saturday said, the group were not violent in their peaceful religious procession of Arba’een from Suleja to Zuba.
He claimed that the army left with the body of the victims.
“The army went away with the corpses of three of the victims, but the other victims’ corpses have been identified as Abdulaziz Maigana, who until his demise was with the members of the Islamic Movement in Suleja.
Ibrahim Musa, vehemently condemned the action of the soldiers as “unwarranted, since the march has been peaceful.”
The statement further added, “In fact, it was being rounded up for the day when soldiers opened fire on the peaceful marchers without any provocation whatsoever.”
“The fact that a similar Arba’een march was conducted in Kano along the Kano-Zaria highway for two days without any incident, is enough a pointer to the peaceful nature of the annual religious rites. Similar Arba’een mourning processions are currently ongoing in Katsina and Kaduna states without any incident,” Musa said in the statement.
The Islamic Movement also cautioned the security agents to stop harassing its members.
“Today is just the beginning of the peaceful mourning march on foot, and it is expected that more people may join the mass peaceful march, which will culminate in the grand Arba’een day, to be marked on Tuesday, 30 October, 2018, the same day it would be commemorated worldwide.”
“If the security agents are trigger happy, then they should save their arms and bullets to other parts of the country engulfed in violence, but not on peaceful marchers,” the statement added.
