Four days of Army, Shi’ite clash in Abuja

The popular Zuba bridge area in Abuja is now calm and quiet, save for the clatter and chatter of vehicles and touts calling for passengers. A week ago, on Saturday, it was scene of a violent clash between soldiers and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), where lives were reportedly lost.

Everything was peaceful in that part of the Capital City that day until a procession of Shi’ites ran into a military convoy and a confrontation ensued, leading to deaths of Shi’ite members and injuries on both sides.

A video clip of the incident that went viral the following day showed a group of about three soldiers being pelted with stones by people believed to be members of the IMN, at which time, shots started ringing out, apparently from the troops.

Clashes between Shi’ites and security forces are common in parts of Nigeria, especially at periods when the sect members embark on annual processions involving long trek to mark the Arbaeen (the fortieth day of the murder of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad).

Confrontations between the sect and security forces have increased since the arrest and detention of the IMN’s leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El Zakzaky, in the wake of a violent clash between Nigerian soldiers and the sect in Zaria in 2015.

During a standoff at the residence of El Zakzaky at the time, hundreds of Shi’ite members were reportedly killed by soldiers who accused the group of stockpiling firearms in the building.

Last Saturday’s procession was not only to commemorate the death of Imam Hussain but to press authorities to free El Zakzaky, who Shi’ites said is being held against the orders of courts granting him bail.

The Nigerian Army said three Shi’ite members were killed in the confrontation at Zuba while a number of its soldiers were injured. The military accused the protesting sect members of attempting “to overrun the escorts to cart away the ammunition and missiles the troops were escorting.” It defended the action of the soldiers, saying they had shoot in order to “extricate” themselves from the situation. But the IMN has denied the military’s claims and accused them of opening fire on peaceful protesters while also refuting the number of deaths, saying they were more than three and over 100 sustained gunshot wounds. “These age-long worn-out malevolent storylines are no longer being believed by members of the public because overtime, the Islamic Movement has convincingly demonstrated its peaceful disposition while conducting its religious obligations, even in the face of extreme official persecution,” the group’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Musa, said in a reply to the Army. Another deadly clash broke out on Monday when the sect members attempted to march into the Capital City from Zuba and Nyanya axes and were blocked by security forces. Many people were allegedly shot by soldiers at a military checkpoint in Nyanya. But the Army, in a statement, blamed the Shi’ites for attacking soldiers on a routine duty at Kugbo/Karu bridge checkpoint of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). “The sect in massive numbers forced their way into the troops’ checkpoint after overrunning the Police Force. The Police withdrew back to own troops’ position to join efforts to repel them,” said its spokesman, BrigadierGeneral Texas Chukwu. “They fired weapons at own troops, throwing bottle canisters with fuel, large stones, catapults with dangerous objects and other dangerous items at troops, causing bodily harm and stopping motorist movement, breaking their windscreens and causing heavy traffic,” he added. Again, the sect denied the allegations and released pictures of funeral prayers for their members, to show that the military was understating the casualty figures. The right group, Amnesty International, has condemned the military’s actions and asked for prosecution of soldiers who killed Shi’ite members during the clashes. The US Embassy in Nigeria has called for a probe and urged the Nigerian government to “take appropriate action to hold accountable, those responsible for violations of Nigerian law.”

The Amnesty International said 45 Shi’ite members were killed during the clashes. Molotov cocktails and arrests The military and police separately reacted to the right group, denying the allegations and accusing the Amnesty International of launching a campaign to smear the image of the country and its security forces.

Speaking for the military, the spokesperson of the Defence Headquarters, Brig Gen John Agim, said Amnesty International’s report was “a figment of its own imagination,” adding that its account of the incident could harm “national security and cohesion of Nigerian.”

He faulted the casualty figure by the right group, saying: “The casualty of IMN stands at 4 wounded and 3 dead at Zuba while at the Nyanya-Mararaba road checkpoint, 3 died with 3 wounded. The military also had 6 of its personnel seriously wounded and currently at intensive care.”

On his part, police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, said Amnesty International was “entirety untrue, misleading” in its account of the incident, accusing it of “a clear misrepresentation and absolute distortion of facts to divert attention from the heinous crimes committed by the El-Zakzaky group, which include unprovoked attack on police personnel and the setting ablaze of police vehicle in the FCT, Abuja on October 30, 2018 and disturbance of public peace and public safety in and around the FCT on the said date.”

On Tuesday, the police said it had arrested 400 members of the sect in connection with the violent protests in the FCT and recovered 31 bottles of petrol bomb, also known as Molotov cocktail, and dangerous weapons from them.

Bala Ciroma, the FCT police commissioner who showed the suspects to the media, said the arrested Shi’ite members intended to use the petrol bomb and weapons to cause mayhem and attack innocent citizens, including law enforcement agents deployed to protect lives and property.

He accused members of the group of rampaging and setting a police patrol vehicle ablaze, without provocation.

The police arraigned 120 members before a Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. All the accused persons were granted bail.