2015 Zaria massacre

The Zaria massacre was a massacre carried out by the Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, on Saturday, 12 December 2015, against Shia muslims, mostly members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria.[2][3][4][5] At least 348 civilians were killed, with 347 bodies secretly buried by the army in a masse grave.[6]

2015 Zaria massacre
Zaria
Location of Zaria in Nigeria
LocationZaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
Coordinates11°04′N 7°42′E
Date12–14 December 2015 (2015-12-14)
TargetShia community, Islamic Movement of Nigeria
DeathsAt least 348 [1]
PerpetratorsNigerian Army

The Army claimed that it had responded to an attempt to assassinate Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. This claim has been strongly rejected by the Islamic Movement and several human rights organizations who argue that the massacre occurred without any provocation and that all the protestors were unarmed.[2][7][8] The incident is considered among the "notable human rights violation since the return to democracy" in Nigeria.[9]

Incident

Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria carried out an assault against Shia muslims, mostly members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, on 12 December 2015. The attack left at least 348 civilian killed and some others injured.[5] Ibrahim Zakzaky was injured in the incident and was captured along with his wife and hundreds of other members.[10]

Some of the injured bodies were burned alive, according to the Amnesty International report.[11]

According to the HRW report, Nigeria's government buried the bodies without family members' permission.[12][13]

Domestic and international reactions

Peaceful protests to condemn the killing of Shia Muslims in Nigeria by the Nigerian army were held in different cities of India, including Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad.[14][15][16] Demonstrations were also held in Tehran and Mashhad in Iran.[17]

Investigation

In January 2016, the Kaduna State Government formed the Commission for Judicial Inquiry into the causes of clashes in Zaria between the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and the Nigerian Army in December 2015, under the chairmanship of Justice Mohammed Garba, the presiding justice of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal.[18][19]

Findings

On 1 August 2016, the commission of inquiry found the army gunned down 348 Shia Muslims and urged the prosecution of all those involved in the killings.[20]

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See also

References
  1. "Nigeria military killed hundreds of Shias, activists say".
  2. "Nigerian Shiites Say Soldiers Have Killed Hundreds ",VOA NEWS, 14 December 2015.
  3. "Military, Shiite Muslims clash in northern Nigeria",Yahoo News, 14 December 2015.
  4. "Nigerian military attacks Shia group over blocked road, killing some",CNN News, 15 December 2015.
  5. "Nigerian Shiites Say Soldiers Have Killed Hundreds",abcnews, 15 December 2015.
  6. Report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Clashes between the IMN and th NA in Zaria, July 2016.
  7. "Zaria Violent Clash: Army, Shiite sect trade blames",Vanguard Newspaper, 12 December 2015.
  8. "Zaria Massacre: Army had "predetermined mandate" to attack Shi'ites - Group - Premium Times Nigeria". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  9. LeVan, A. Carl; Ukata, Patrick (2018). The Oxford Handbook of Nigerian Politics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198804307. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  10. John, Maszka (27 October 2017). Al-shabaab And Boko Haram: Guerrilla Insurgency Or Strategic Terrorism?. World Scientific. ISBN 9781786344007.
  11. "NIGERIA: MILITARY COVER-UP OF MASS SLAUGHTER AT ZARIA EXPOSED". Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  12. "Mass graves for '300 Shia Nigerians' in Zaria". 23 December 2015. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  13. Jones, Sam (21 April 2016). "Nigerian army killed 350 and secretly buried the bodies, Amnesty says". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  14. Ashish Tripathi (20 December 2015). "Shias in Lucknow want Indian govt to intervene in Nigerian crisis". The Times of India City. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  15. K. A. Dodhiya (December 18, 2015). "Shias protest against killing in Nigeria". The Asian Age. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  16. Ashish Tripathi (21 December 2015). "Protest against the killings of Shia Muslims in Nigeria". The Siasat Daily, Hyderabad, India. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  17. "Iranians protest against killing of Shias in Nigeria". Real Iran. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  18. "Justice Garba heads inquiry over Army-Shiite killings". TheNEWS. January 16, 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  19. Staff reporter (17 January 2016). "Shiíte Killings: Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, other icons to lead inquiry". The Heraldng. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  20. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/90629e0778f948849c20228fcbe5127a/report-nigeria-army-killed-348-shiites-1-soldier-killed
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