By Aliyu Muhammad Gummi
am 36 years old, married and Iblessed with two children. I'm an NCE certificate holder and a trader around PZ neighborhood in
Zaria.
I witnessed how the massacre unfolded on 12th December, 2015. It was around 12:00 p.m, after I had returned from a village that I decided to go to Tudun Wada area, though my shop was located around PZ outlet. It was there in Tudun Wada that some brothers told me about what was
happening at Hussainiyya. Soldiers had been deployed. I asked for food but I was told there was no need for that, I should just go straight to Hussainiyya.I headed to Hussainiyya riding my motorcycle. Right from PZ I began to see the soldiers in battle gear. I mingled with brothers who were busy talking to the soldiers while on the other hand onlookers folded their arms watching as the standoff unfolded. I watched the Hussainiyya gates being occupied by volunteers. I parked my motorcycle. It was at that point that I saw some brothers surrounding a senior army officer who was talking to them in Hausa. As a matter of fact, I did not hear what he was saying because he finished before I reached the scene. I was also informed that the soldiers had opened fire and killed some brothers before then.You know the whole issue is about belief. Some are more determined than others.
I was present when some brothers lay on the road saying the soldiers' vehicles could not get to Hussainiyya unless they would run over them. I was behind watching everything. I was told that the soldiers were videotaping the scene with a camera. It was then that I noticed there was a conspiracy. I had a premonition that they would open fire.It was part of the military deceptive tactics to record a scene so that it could tell the world its own version of the story to justify its reason for opening fire. It was shortly after the soldier had left that we heard nonstop gunshots! Sheikh Zakzaky's sons, Sayyid Ali and Sayyid Humaid were present. So we evacuated them in order to avoid the repetition of the Quds Day killings, where the first 3 children of the Sheikh were killed by soldiers.They were taken away and I stayed on the road. The gunshots continued which forced us to lie down. We lay flat as they spent over 30 minutes shooting indiscriminately. Sounds of
different calibers of weapons could be heard. It soon came to our notice that the soldiers had invaded the polo pitch and they were close to Hussainiyya. It was now clear that the soldiers were there not because their convoy was blocked. Sadly, the brothers who lay down on the road to prevent the soldiers from reaching Hussainiyya were shot dead one after the other irrespective of their gender.
I was staying where some petty traders used to sell their wares at Hussainiyya and it was their makeshift pavilion that prevented the soldiers from spotting me, as I was watching the atrocities they were committing. Once a person was taken down by a gunshot, the soldiers would hurriedly come and shoot him on the head or chest. I witnessed how a young sister, Fatima, the daughter of Alhaji Uncle, was shot to death. The father rushed to save her, but he too was shot
down by the soldiers. That was how they killed a large number of people.
I watched how the army's vehicles were being deployed. Some vehicles tried to avoid running over the dead people, while
some brutally ran over our dead brothers scattered on the road. It was after that the soldiers spotted me from afar. They came after me. I ran into the railway station as the soldiers shot at me. I stumbled
and fell. I was trying to get up when a bullet got me by my shoulder. I fell down again, but luckily I was able to get back up. I managed to enter the railway station, and even then the soldiers were still coming after me. I was sure they were after my life, but luckily I managed to disappear from their radar.
Unknown to me, there were some brothers hiding in the station. They assisted me. My white shirt was smeared with blood and it was virtually impossible to transfer me into the town for medical attention. They took me out of the station and detoured
inside the city using a commercial bike. I was fast bleeding, so I was taken by a tricycle bike (Keke-Napep) before we endured different detours to reach another neighborhood of the city. It was after I was brought to the city that I pleaded with the
volunteers to take me to Gyallesu because I was more concerned about the leader's residence than my health. I was pretty sure the soldiers would go to the Sheikh's house. The Sheikh had told us in advance that the soldiers might launch attacks even before the Arba'een Symbolic Trek.
So I was very concerned about the
Sheikh's residence. They turned down my plea, saying they would take me to the members of our Health team instead. I had no option but to give in to their plan. I was taken to them, and there was only
one medic left. He immediately gave me first aid treatment.
I was responding to the treatment when I was told by the medics that I should not be left alone in the medical centre since we were not much. We were transferred to Dankali residential area where we were sheltered in a brother's house. We spent the night there. I returned to the centre in the morning where I received news about the situation in Gyallesu. I was shot on Saturday in the afternoon but I couldn't get any surgery till Thursday. Besides, I did
not take a single drug prescription. Some brothers then suggested that I should be injected with anti-tetanus injection so that if I went home I could receive necessary medical attention since there were
no longer medics to attend to me. Despite the suggestion, I was somehow unable to do anything for my health. Then all of a sudden received pathetic news that soldiers had been searching houses to
fish out brothers and kill. The brother demanded I leave Zaria for another town in order to get medical attention. They gave me money that I used to travel to Gusau.
On my way to Gusau, I came across a number of military checkpoints. I saw soldiers shooting our brothers at a checkpoint in Randar Kano area. I saw military checkpoints in Giwa town,
Marabar Yakawada and the Tsafe outskirts. They even deployed a tank at one checkpoint. At least I reached Gusau where I immediately looked for a senior member of the Islamic Movement and he referred me to the person representing the Islamic Movement in Gusau who made sure I underwent surgery. This was how I
escaped the massacre.
May Allah continue to protect our leader as well as brothers who are being illegally detained! May they regain their freedom soon and may our martyrs continue to rest in peace. Ameen.
(From The Book "Zaria Massacre Survivors Account)
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