Following repeated protests by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (Shiites) that their detained leader, El-Zakzaky be released, a group, The Good Governance Initiative (GGI) has said that the Nigerian army acted within its mandate to protect the territorial integrity of the country when it clashed with the sect.
The group welcomed the released White Paper on the Judicial Commission of Enquiry that investigated the clash between the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and the Nigerian Army by the Kaduna State Government which exonerated the army from the killings that followed the clash is a welcome development.
The group said Nigerians never doubted that the Nigerian Army acted within its mandate of protecting the territorial integrity of the country.
A statement signed by Coordinator of the group, Uche Madu John, said “Nigerians will continue to support the army in its quest to protect law abiding citizens from any form of aggressors.
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The statement reads, “We laud the exoneration of the Nigerian Army, which was cleared of any wrongdoing as an institution and we see this as the removal of obstacles that terrorist sponsors had tried to place in the way of the army to reduce its ability to protect Nigerians.
“The White Paper has laid to rest the true nature and status of IMN as an insurgent group whose members bear arms and had refused to evacuate Gyallesu area of Zaria, Kaduna state ahead of the referenced military operation in the report.
“We hope that those that have been mounting propaganda on behalf of IMN, including international contractors like Amnesty International, would now accept the position stated in the document that the Nigerian Army abided by its Rules of Engagement in dealing with the terrorist organization.”
He urged judicial officers to familiarize themselves with this document especially since more IMN members could soon be charged to court over their role in the group’s decades of insurgency against the Nigerian state.
Continuing the statement said, “GGI urges the Federal Government to immediately implement the aspect of the White Paper that fall within its purview to ensure that the menace of the IMN and any other groups they may mutate into can be holistically dealt with since it is not all the states of the federation that can marshal the political will to tackle insurgency the way Kaduna has done.”
End.
