Shiites to seek legal redress over Zaria clash

The Islamic Movement of Nigeria popularly known as the Shiite movement said yesterday that it had assembled a team of lawyers to seek redress over their recent clash with the army, just as it accused the federal government and the army of sponsoring campaigns against them.
The leader of the movement in Katsina State,  Yakubu Yahaya, said at a press conference that even if it would reach the International Criminal Court  in the Hague, the movement would pursue justice.
According to him, despite recent campaigns to portray the movement negatively, it is not violent.
‘To even our surprise some Islamic scholars and groups have joined the fray of castigation against us, some even happy at what befalls us, they should be ware that tomorrow it might be their turn’ he said.
The movement condemned what it described as ‘hate campaigns’ by the Army against its members.
In a statement by its spokesman, Ibrahim Musa in Kaduna yesterday, it accused the government of releasing a video clip to justify its attacks on the movement.
He said, “We condemn the hate campaign by the army against the movement by releasing a three-minute propaganda video clip to buttress the fraudulent claims that IMN has a military wing that is a threat to the Nigerian nation”, the statement said.
“Those members of the IMN that you see marching in that propaganda video are the Volunteer Aid Group of the movement. Many organizations in Nigeria have such units by various names whose duties essentially is development of the body and soul as well as community service such as crowd control, provision of social services and the rest”, it added.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State government yesterday said it would name members of the judicial commission of inquiry into the Zaria recent clash in January.
 A statement from the media aide to the state governor, Samuel Aruwan, said progress had been made in setting up the commission of inquiry.
“The Kaduna State government has largely completed work on the composition and the terms of reference of the proposed Judicial Commission of Inquiry. However, the government is still engaged in the extensive consultations that are required prior to a formal announcement. Efforts are also being made to contact all the nominees for membership of the commission, as well as the secretariat and resource persons that will support the work of this important inquiry”, the statement said.