A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of the Centrum Initiative for Development and Fundamental Rights Advocacy and Advocate Movement, have urged the Federal Government to prosecute those responsible for the persecution of the Shiite and other minorities in the country.
According to them, such action would go a long way for natural justice and in the interest of national development.
The statement was jointly signed by Dr Hasan Bala, Geoffrey Nwokolo, Prince Adelaje Adeoye, Comrade Ecoja Godwin, Dr. Y. B. Abubakar, Comrade Ahmad Shuaib and Comrade Mabel Christiana Abba.
They said that the perpetrators of the massacre and injustice of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), should be brought to justice without delay.
They recalled that there was the gross violation of the fundamental human rights to the Nigerian Shia Muslims under the leadership of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky leading to murder, destruction of properties and unconstitutional arrests.
“These crimes committed against the Shia minority can never be forgotten in our strive for the desired Human Rights to be shaped within the Nigerian democratic system.
“The ill treatments of members of this religious minority group and their leader Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat that are kept in custody incommunicado with bullet wounds all over their bodies in continuous disregard and contempt of an Abuja High Court order to release them and pay them the sum of N50m as compensation as fully documented,” they said.
