Shi’ites gives FG one-week ultimatum over Zakzaky’s detention

Shi’ites group, under the aegis of Save Zakzaky’s Life Group, has issued a fresh 7-day ultimatum to the federal government to unconditionally release their leader, Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky from detention.

The group noted that failure to comply with its request would leave them with no alternative but to storm Abuja in protest for El-Zakzaky’s release.

It would be recalled that the Save Zakzaky life group had earlier issued a 14 day ultimatum for the release of their leader or it would be left with no option than to mobilize millions of its members and storm the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to the National Coordinator of the group, Bashir Marafa, “We call on the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to release Sheikh Zakzaky who has been unjustly in detention without trial for the past nine month unconditionally.

“No doubt, Save Zakzaky’s life group of Nigeria, with the supports and aspirations of millions of Zakzaky’s followers within Nigeria and beyond, are greatly concerned over the deteriorating health condition of our great leader Zakzaky, who has been denied access to seek for good medical care.

“He is being detained with no reason whatsoever, except what we see as great oppression and denying his fundamental human right as a Nigerian citizen, by the Buhari administration.

“Indeed, we can simply define Buhari’s administration as a ‘junta’ government, which is hiding under the fulcrum of democracy, intimidating and violating the rule of law.

“We will never forget in history the massacre of over one thousands innocents citizens, followers of Shaik Zakzaky in Zaria.

“The sporadic shooting against Shaik Zakzaky, his wife, and killing of his six children just within a year is indelible in history, and many other oppression of Buhari’s ‘junta’ government against armless and innocents citizens of Nigeria, just to serve the yearning of his masters abroad.

“We see it as contradictory the statement of DSS, which said: ‘They are protecting Sheihk Zakzaky’. If that is the case, why can’t you release him, since he is not guilty? We believe, the Nigerian soldiers are still on red-alert to kill Zakzaky if chance permits, as they attempted to do hitherto.

“To this end, thousands of Zakzaky’s followers had begun a mass peaceful protest last week in Abuja, as the Nigerian constitution allows, demanding for his unconditional release.

“Unfortunately, the Abuja Police command, under Commissioner Muhammad Mustapha, on what we tagged as unprofessionalism, and violation of the constitutional right of peaceful protest, fired teargas canisters against the protesters, injured many of them, even though they were armless.

“With these facts and many more, Save Zakzaky’s life group is barefacedly stressing that it has already started mobilizing millions of Zakzaky’s followers, within Nigeria and beyond, domestic and international human rights organizations, human rights activists, and other individuals with sense of humanity, to storm Abuja, for what we called “MOTHER OF ALL PROTESTS”, and “SIT AROUND IN ABUJA CITY, as long as Zakzaky is not released unconditionally, within the next 7 days. We would never leave, until he is released.

“Our protest and “Sit Around” is always peaceful and well organized, based on the constitutional provision. So, the Nigerian police should never harass or intimidate us. Once again, it is our constitutional right,” the group stated.