Holding our passports, is deliberate further detention despite health challenges – Sheikh Zakzaky.
By Abdullahi Isah Wasagu
Leader of the Islamic movement in Nigeria Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqoub Zakzaky has explained his managed health condition along with his wife Malama Zeenah, who were ill throughout the years of their illegal detention. The leader explained this last Tuesday 12/7/2022 during a warm reception of team of clerics and community leaders from Abuja on a courtesy visit to him in his residence in Abuja.
"We thought that we were going to be flawn to abroad to seek medical treatment as soon as are released from detention, but unfortunately authorities hindered us from going out. They stopped us from getting our passports.
They deceived us by empty promises that our travel documents would be given to us as soon as we are released.
"After our release, it was said that only a key government agent is now left to be arrived for the passports to be released. As he arrived, they changed another tactics that, he is waiting for an order from a superior officer. They keep on beating around the bush till the last statement that, only President could give an order for the release of the passports", said the leader while recounting ordeal to the visitors.
The leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky further added that, "It reached to a station where some brothers were delegated who successfully met the president regarding the issue, but he kept mute. So we endured to live in a state of illness in need of professional medical doctors".
The leader also spoke on how the authorities tried to divert the attention of brothers and sisters who camped in Abuja for daily peaceful processions. "They actually intended to divert their attention to the fact that it is the Kaduna state government that is prosecuting the Sheikh Zakzaky, not the Federal government. When I was arrested in cold blood in Kaduna and brought to Abuja, brothers and sisters gathered here (in Abuja) and tirelessly keep calling for our release until peaceful processions striked out nationwide".
Sheikh Zakzaky further added that, "The stance of brothers and sisters nationwide, particularly the Abuja daily processions made the authorities to change mind by sending us back to Kaduna and claim Federal government has no hands in our illegal detention , it's the Kaduna state government. This is why we were later taken back to Kaduna court.
"Who are you going to fool? If a person wants to act foolishly aganist you, he should be smarter than you, right? The person who should deceive you should be more intelligent than you, just like a small child is being lured and deceived by a matured person. But when are you smart? Many of their top senior officers are our younger brothers if an only if they went to school, and some of their elders are not even educated, they did not ever pass through tertiary institution. Those who attended Universities among them are all our younger brothers. They know this, but it is we now they tried to be fooled with our intelligence. Who will you deceive?" asked the leader.
The leader continued saying that, "Armed Soldiers were sent and they committed crime against unarmed civilians. They killed and burned, they committed the most shocking untold crime. Afterwards, they tried to fool our senses that it was the Kaduna state government behind the crime. Even the Governor of the Kaduna state once came(to our detention camp). l yelled at him when he was beating around the bush, I stopped him from his long-winded talks".
I called him and said, "Do you have Soldier? Who are you? Solders committed crime, and you are now trying to make an unneccessary claims! What are you talking about?"
"Zaria massacre is preplanned from abroad and finally some people were recruited and assigned to do the task. They concertedly committed atrocities with the intention of wiping us forever from existence. There is no way you now tell us that it is Kaduna state government behind the crime", he explained.
Sheikh Zakzaky recounted how the authorities dragged the movement to three different courts, all ruling out that road has not been blocked and members of the Islamic movement were innocent of the count charges as alledged. But surprisingly, you see a man till date trying to justify the massacre as a result of a conflict between members of the Islamic movement and the Army, following a blockade of road.
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