Army/Shiite clash: Buhari vows ‘appropriate response’ on report

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured international and local human rights groups of appropriate response on the report of the judicial inquiry into clashes between soldiers and members of the Shiite movement led by Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said in a statement yesterday that the president was studying details of the report before announcing the appropriate response in due course.

According to the statement, the president’s commitment to human rights remains unchanged because it is a cardinal component of the democratic order.

Shehu said the present administration believed in due process and the rule of law, therefore, any response to the report would follow this principle.

The presidential aide said the federal government would continue to act in the larger interest of the public to prevent recurrence of such violent incidents.