The House of Representatives is expected to interface with the echelon of the nation’s security agencies over last Saturday clash between the military and religious sect, Shi’ite.
The corpses of 60 people among those killed in the shoot-out that followed the attempted mob-attack against the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, have been deposited at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria morgue.
Abdulrasak Namdas, chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, gave the hint at the National Assembly complex, Abuja.
“Following a clash between Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) popularly known as Shi’ite and security operatives in Zaria, Kaduna State over the weekend, the House of Representatives has directed two of its relevant committees to meet with to echelon of security agencies in the country so as to unearth the cause of the clash with a view to finding lasting solutions,” Namdas said.
According to him, Speaker Yakubu Dogara urged the committees to do a thorough job, considering the sensitive nature of the matter and the security situation in the country at the moment. Dogara suing for peace following the crisis trailing the incident, urged Nigerians to be calm and peaceful, stressing that the House would always be alive to its responsibilities. The speaker assured that Nigerians would be fully briefed in due course when the committees must had concluded their assignments and reported back to the House.
Meanwhile, Iran has reacted on the clash between the Army and the Shiite group in Nigeria. Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Nigerian charge d’affaires in Tehran after the raid. In a telephone conversation Dec. 14 with Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed Iran’s concern and said that he expects calm to be restored and for the lives of Muslims to be protected. Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that while the relations between Iran and Nigeria are positive, Iran holds the government responsible for the event.
The attack on Zakzaky was also discussed at an open session of Iran’s parliament Dec. 15. Speaker Ali Larijani said that the parliament is currently preparing a response “to the killings of Nigeria’s Shiite Muslims.” Iranian parliamentarian Hossein-Ali Haji-Delighani said that Iran must prepare an appropriate response to ensure that Zakzaky and his family are compensated for the “oppression inflicted” upon them.
Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Gholpayeghani said members of Zakzaky’s Shiite movement “pose no danger to their country and are living peacefully.” He condemned the silence of international and Islamic communities on the killings.
