Hawzah News Agency-Following a Press Conference by the Free Zakzaky Campaign Committee in Kaduna in which the position of the IMN with regards to the published report and recommendations of the Kaduna State Judicial Commission of Inquiry (JCI) was made clear, the Presidency swiftly responded by trying to deny any involvement in the brutal Zaria massacre.

 The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, “distanced President Buhari from the travails of El-Zakzaky, saying it was purely a matter within the jurisdiction of the Kaduna State government.” It further quoted the Presidential mouthpiece as saying “the matter has nothing to do with the President, it is a state matter and the President has no hand in the matter. Does it really make any sense to believe that the President is blocking the release of their leader when the President has, as a matter of policy, refused to get involved in it? Let them take their case to Kaduna State government.”

This is however a clear evasion of responsibility and the Presidential spokesman needs to have a quick rethink and a check of reality. The JCI has given a damning report of the Nigerian Army’s role in the massacre. It stopped short of pointing accusing fingers at the presidency when it became glaringly clear to them that the massacre was indeed ordered directly by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces as required by the Nigerian constitution. Denial in itself does the Presidency no good because if truly he had no hand in it, and for the last nine months he failed to take any action against those who violated the Constitution of the Federal Republic with impunity and also usurped his constitutional powers, it is more than enough proof of his incompetence and ineptitude.

More so, if the presidential spokesman’s assertion that the issue was entirely within the jurisdiction of the Kaduna state government is to be believed, would we then be correct to say that the President has abdicated his responsibilities and ceded same to Kaduna state Governor Nasir El-Rufai as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces, who then commandeered the army on a massacre mission for over 48 hours? Is Garba Shehu trying to tell us that his boss has lost control or he lacks the competence, will or ability to discharge his functions like he swore to do? Does this then tally with common sense?

The body language of the President since the attack leaves no one in doubt about his complicity in it from start to finish. It is not something that a Special Assistant would just wish away. The President has nevertheless long given himself away. He was forced to speak on the Zaria massacre after a long but deliberate silence over the attack. When he did comment during his maiden media chat, he could not hide his hate and hurt deep in the heart, which even his facial expression manifested. He tried to justify the attack by leveling some spurious allegations such as ‘running a government within a government’ and others. The President never issued condolences to families of those killed nor sympathized with the victims of the attack, even after the JCI had declared massive extra-judicial killings of hundreds of citizens by soldiers, of whom he is the ultimate commander. Having poured his venomous comments during the media chat, he then urged people to wait for the report of the commission, knowing that they have since schemed how to blame victims and absolve the assailants.

The president’s clear pre-knowledge of the whole incidence before its occurrence again manifested when under the pretense of visit to Saudi Arabia. He was seen with key figures that played leading roles in the massacre or its justification in what looks like a victory and celebration party. This same President also told Al-Arabiyya TV station in Qatar that his government had to attack IMN in December because they are like a parallel government and was getting too close to Iran.

A further proof that the President indeed not only had a pre-knowledge of the attack but actually ordered it came from a leaked audio recordings during a secret meeting in Kebbi State, where a leading Salafi cleric disclosed an earlier secret pact with the President, in which he reassured them on return from his trip from Iran that he was to clamp down on IMN. Neither the President nor his media aide denied that. Does this still not tally with common sense that the President is fully involved in the Zaria massacre of innocent unarmed civilians?

A further question for the Presidential spokesman would be why are both Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife being detained by the Department of State Security (DSS) if the presidency was not involved? Is the DSS now an agency of the Kaduna state government? Why did it have to take the involvement of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) before anyone, even the Kaduna state established JCI, could access Sheikh Zakzaky if it was purely Kaduna state affair? The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs under the Sultan of Sokoto similarly went through the office of the Inspector General of Police, then through the AGF and DSS before they were allowed to see the Sheikh. All these are agents of the Federal government and not Kaduna state government. How would the Presidential mouthpiece explain this?

Clearly, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu has quibbled and goofed. His swift response on this very sensitive issue is too cheap and misleading. The Presidency rather needs to swiftly react to the whole of its definite complicity in the Zaria massacre, not through denial of the obvious, but through acceptance of truth and doing justice to all victims of its actions. The Presidency must also order for the immediate and unconditional release our Leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, whose health is fast deteriorating and all others being unjustifiably detained on this matter.

SIGNED BY

IBRAHIM MUSA

PRESIDENT MEDIA FORUM OF IMN

13/08/16

#FreeZakzaky