Officials of the Iranian Embassy in Abuja yesterday declined comments on Iran’s summon of the Nigerian envoy in Tehran over the recent bloody clashes between the Nigerian Army and Shiite Muslims under the umbrella of Islamic Movement of Nigeria.
Over 60 Shiite members were killed while 28 were injured between Saturday and Sunday when they clashed with the army during a procession in Zaria, Kaduna State, when the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff was passing through the procession route. The injured leader of the sect, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, is still in military custody.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry had Monday summoned Nigeria’s Charge d’ Affaires in Tehran to protest to the Nigerian government over the clashes. When Daily Trust sought enquiries at the Iranian embassy in Abuja yesterday, a senior official of the embassy, said: “There is nothing to say now on the matter. We will get back to you if we have anything to say.”
But the Nigerian diplomat in Tehran had said that the two countries enjoyed excellent ties, and promised to convey Iran’s concerns on the issue to the Nigerian government and equally deliver responses from Nigeria.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Media Department, the ministry expressed its deep concerns about the tragedy in Nigeria.
The Director of First Bureau of Africa at the Foreign Ministry in Tehran condemned the attack, describing it as unacceptable and underlined the responsibility of the Nigerian government to protect Shiite Muslims, especially the leader of the movement, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
Meanwhile, the United States and Iran’s Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission have joined in condemning the killing.
In a statement, the lawmakers said: “The unfortunate and disturbing news of the crime against Shiites by the Nigerian military has hurt the sentiments of millions of people around the world, especially Muslims, such atrocities will indicate the sheer lack of good governance and mismanagement of the affairs by the government. We have no doubt that such crime when the Islamic world is witnessing on daily basis killing of Muslim brothers and sisters by the Takfirists and Salafist terrorists, would effectively be evaluated as complicity with the international terrorism.”
The United States through its Embassy in Abuja called on the Nigerian government to “quickly, credibly, and transparently investigate these events in Zaria and hold to account any individuals found to have committed crimes.”
It also urged both the Nigerian Army and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria to refrain from actions that could further destabilise the situation.
Protests erupted outside the Nigerian embassy in Iran on Tuesday. Several protesters were seen burning the flags of the UK, the US, and Israel.
