Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for a thorough investigation by military authorities into the alleged shooting of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria last week Thursday, in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Atiku, who made the call yesterday via his Twitter handle @atiku, expressed shock over the incident, saying he was “deeply disturbed”.
The former vice president, however, tasked religious leaders on the need to propagate the message of peace and restrain their followers from taking laws into their hands.
He said via his tweets: “I am deeply disturbed by the fatal shooting of protesters in Zaria yesterday.
“I have always advocated restraint in dealing with dissidents be they political or religious.
“The incident needs to be thoroughly investigated by the authorities in order to restore calm and public trust in law enforcement”.
He further tweeted: “Our law enforcement agents must be careful to not alienate the people, who are partners in our search for peace and progress.
“It is also important that religious leaders preach calm and restrain their followers from activities which disturb the peace”.
The military on Thursday clashed with members of the movement in Zaria during a rally to protest against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The incident led to the death of three children of the movement’s leader, Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and nine others.
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