Two days after Ibrahim Zakzaky, leader of the Shi’ia sect in Nigeria, was reportedly arrested by the military, a picture showing him bleeding after apparent torture, has gone viral.
On Saturday, members of the sect clashed with soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna state, resulting to the loss of about 20 lives. The army blamed the sect for the violence, saying the convoy of Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, was attacked in a bid to assassinate him.
Addressing the media on Monday, Buratai said it was God who helped him escape Shi’ia violence. However, there were reports that Zakzaky was arrested, while the headquarters of the sect was destroyed but the army denied arresting the sect leader, claiming that he is safe and would “address his members” in due course.
“El-Zakzaky and his wife are in safe custody in a save military facility here and in due time he will speak to his members,” Adeniyi Oyebade, general officer commanding (GOC) 1 Mechanised Division of the army, said at a press conference in Kaduna on Monday. The issue has been generating attention across the world, with Iran calling on the Nigerian government to take action.
Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, has also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the clash, reminding the government that the Boko Haram insurgency started on a similar note.
Photo Credit: Nairaland
