Iranian President calls Buhari over killing of Shiites
The
President of Iranian, Hassan Rouhani, on Tuesday called President
Muhammadu Buhari over the clash between the Nigeria Army and the Islamic
Movement of Nigeria, whose members are pro-Iranian Shiites, the Islamic
News Agency reported.
Rouhani was said to have enquired about the
care being provided for those injured in the clash and called on the
Nigerian government to “relieve the entire bereaved families and injured
victims of that disaster and to issue strict orders to prevent the
occurrence of any further unrests”.
The Iranian President, who
accused a group of countries of creating discord among Muslims, said,
“The Islamic world is more than ever before in need to peace and
peaceful resolving of its existing problems.”
He called on Buhari
to set up a committee to look into the clash, adding that Iran was ready
to provide medical and relief teams to aid the victims.
Buhari
was quoted as saying that the Nigerian government was determined to find
the exact cause of the clash and react accordingly to it.
The president could not be immediately reached for comment.
The
clash on Saturday and Sunday between the army and the movement was said
to have been premeditated by members of the sect, who allegedly
attacked the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.
The
army said Buratai was attacked on his way to attend the passing-out
parade of the solders at the 73 Regular Recruitment of the Nigerian
Army, Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria.
Sayyid, one of El-Zakzaky’s
sons; the sect’s deputy leader, Sheikh Turi Mohammed, and the group’s
spokesman, Ibrahim Musa were among those killed later on Sunday.
The
General Officer Commanding 1 Mechanized Division of the Nigeria Army,
Kaduna, Maj-Gen. Adeniyi Oyebade, had on Monday, while defending the
army’s action, however, said El-Zakzaky was unhurt and that the sect
leader and his wife were in protective custody.
Following
the clash and the arrest of the sect’s leader, Sheikh Ibrahim
El-Zakzaky, members of the group have staged protests in Kano, Kaduna
and Bauchi States.
The protest had led to tension in Kaduna State
on Tuesday with members of the sect clashing with police in the Tudun
Wada area of the state capital, Kaduna.
Iranian protesters had
also gathered in front of the Nigerian embassy in Tehran and in front of
the United Nations office in Mashhad on Tuesday to protest killings of
members of the group by the Nigerian army.
The FARS News Agency,
an Iranian news agency, has accused global human rights bodies of
keeping mum days after the clash and turning “a blind eye to the
horrendous crimes committed by the Nigerian regime in the weekend”.
