Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, also known as Shi’ites, have submitted a petition to the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), calling for the release of their detained members and the travel documents of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Ya’qoub El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenat.

The petition highlights the persecution, maltreatment, and human rights violations against Sheikh El-Zakzaky, his family, and followers by the Nigerian governments led by Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement by IMN’s Academic Forum signed by Fatima Aliyu Adam on Sunday, the Shi’ites said, “We have been suffering under the brutal hands of the government, and it is time for the international community to take notice and act.”

The petition lists a series of incidents, including the detention of multiple members of the Islamic Movement without trial since 2013, the extrajudicial killing of Sheikh El-Zakzaky’s three sons and 31 others in 2014, and the Zaria Massacre in 2015, which led to the death of over 1,000 people.

In addition, the petition highlights the continued detention of Free Zakzaky protesters since 2019 and the illegal seizure of Sheikh El-Zakzaky and his wife’s travel documents by security agents.

“Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife have been acquitted by the Kaduna State High Court, yet the government refuses to return their travel documents, which were confiscated illegally,” Fatima Aliyu Adam added.

Consequently, the Academic Forum demanded the unconditional release of detained members; the prosecution of those responsible for the killings in 2014; the release of those illegally detained without trial, the investigation and prosecution of the Zaria Massacre perpetrators; the release of Free Zakzaky protesters; and the lifting of the travel ban on Sheikh El-Zakzaky and his wife. (Sunday Vanguard)

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