Soldiers moved in to disperse the crowd, and the confrontation quickly escalated into a large-scale military operation.
Human Rights Watch reported that 300 IMN members were killed and secretly buried.
El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, were arrested following the clash and remained in detention until 2021, when a Kaduna State High Court discharged and acquitted them of all charges.
Speaking at a press conference marking 10 years since the tragedy, El-Zakzaky criticised both the Buhari administration and the current government for failing to release the commission’s report or acknowledge the killings.
Nothing has been done. They do not even acknowledge that anything happened. Even though a judicial commission of enquiry was set up and submitted its report on 7th September 2016, nothing came out of it,” he said.
“The president at the time said he was following the matter with rapt attention. But he finished his first and second terms, and they said nothing.
He added that the current administration, despite earlier assurances, had maintained “total silence.”
On whether he had forgiven Buhari, El-Zakzaky said: “As for Buhari, it’s simple. He has passed away. We will meet on the Day of Judgement. I remember when I was shot and in blood, one of his ministers phoned me. I said, tell him my greetings. We will meet on the Day of Judgement. The equation of Buhari is over.
He stressed that the government should address the “injustice” without being pushed. “We don’t have to demand. They know a wrong was done,” he said.
El-Zakzaky also said the attempt to suppress the IMN had amplified the movement’s message internationally.
“The attempt to destroy an ideology with a gun only made our cause known to the whole world,” he said, citing global protests that followed his arrest.
Post a Comment