Shiite, Army Clash: Again, Investigative Panel Fails to Sit
The inability of the legal counsel to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shiites to get access to its leader, Sheik Ibrahim Zakzaky, has again stalled the sitting of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State Government to investigate the clashes bet the Islamic group and the Nigerian Army on Zaria in December 2015.
The commission during its inaugural sitting on Monday adjourned to yesterday following the absence of counsel to the group who said they cannot appear before the panel without meeting Zakzaky who is the only one that could brief them.
The Shiite leader and some of his followers have been in detention since December following their arrest during their clashes between his followers with the Nigerian Army in December 12, last year.
At the resumption of sitting yesterday, counsel to the movement, Mr. Maxwel Kyon pleaded with the panel to be given two weeks adjournment to enable him get access to his client.
But counsel to the commission, Usman Yunus Ustaz (SAN), objected to the request, saying that two weeks was too long to be granted since the panel has only six weeks to conclude its sitting.
The Chairman of the commission, Justice Mohammadu Lawal Garba, however, turned down the request and adjourned sitting till February 29, 2016 and urged counsel to the movement to get in touch with Zakzaky before then.
“We are adjourning till February 29, to enable you get access to your client, and whether you get access to him or not, you have to report back to the Commission so that we can continue with the proceedings,” panel chairman said.
The Islamic group had earlier faulted the 13-man panel, saying some of them were anti-Shiite and would not be just and fair.
In an interview with journalists shortly after the adjournment, Zakzaky’s lawyer, Kyon disclosed that the embattled Shiites leader was in the custody of the Directorate of the State Services (DSS), adding that the police and other security agencies were preventing him from having access to his client.