In December 2015, the Nigerian military, under the pretense of road blockade to the COAS, attacked members of the Islamic movement in Nigeria thereby killing over a thousand innocent and armless citizens including women and young children.
While testifying before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the attack, the then secretary to Kaduna State government confirmed that 347 members of the movement were killed and secretly buried in mass grave. And since then, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky has been in illegal detention alongside his wife Zeenah Ibraheem; each of them suffering from life threatening health conditions.
In December 2016- a year after the duo were dragged over the dead bodies of their 3 biological children killed in cold blood before their eyes- a Federal High court sitting in Abuja ruled that the detention of the Sheikh and his wife is “illegal and unconstitutional” and therefore ordered their release immediately and unconditionally within an ultimatum of 45 days, failure of which, according to the learned judge Gabriel Kolawole, is a blatant disregard for the rule of law. The court also ordered the government to compensate the duo for detaining them illegally in DSS facility which is a violation of their right to personal liberty.
The Nigerian government, however refused to comply with the court order till now. If Nigeria is a country where rule of law is the “authority” and every other person is a servant to it- this being the principle of liberal democracy, Sheikh El-Zakzaky and his wife ought to have since then been released as per the order of a competent court of land.
The Nigerian government instead, following pressure from well meaning individuals, human right organizations and international community; decided to transfer the duo from Abuja to another DSS facility in Kaduna State under the guise of carrying out the recommendations of the established Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Zaria massacre. Nevertheless, till now, none of the Nigerian military indicted by the established JCI is brought to justice.
It could be recalled that in August last year the Kaduna state High court ordered for the Sheikh and his wife to be flown to India in order to get medical attention, following a comprehensive diagnosis of their health conditions by foreign doctors who unanimously concluded that [the conditions] could best be treated abroad. Unfortunately, the medical trip was deliberately frustrated by security operatives and had to finally be aborted.
As if enough had not been done, upon their arrival back in Nigeria, the duo were whisked to unknown destination and held incommunicado; until some time in December last year when their case hearing before the court resumed; and upon the request of the Kaduna state lawyer, they were transferred to Kaduna Central prison. At this point, It is needless to compare between the prison’s dilapidated health care facilities and the duo’s deteriorating health conditions.
The Sheikh is reportedly going through the hardest moment of his life right now. He reportedly has had several incidents of insane blood pressure spikes, which predisposes him to the risk of having stroke and other fatal health complications. The story is no different with his his wife Zeenah, who reportedly is coughing out blood-stained sputum. And nonetheless, the prison officials are doing everything possible to frustrate their testing and treatment which is supposedly to be executed by their doctors as ordered by the Kaduna State High court.
Need I not remind all people of conscience, and the general public at large that neither Sheikh El-Zakzaky nor his wife is found guilty of any crime till now. And the rule of law is very clear in this regard, that even as they stand trial, it is their inalienable right to receive proper medical attention.
In December last year, the United States placed Nigeria and six other countries on the special watch list of countries that had engaged in or tolerated severe violation of religious freedom and other human rights abuses. Part of the report reads: “The federal government continued to detain the leader of the IMN, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, along with his wife and hundreds of other members, and state government’s continued to ban the group’s activities”. In a similar report earlier this week, the U.S faults the government’s continued ill-treatment of the Sheikh and his wife.
The strategy employed by the Nigerian government in the treatment of Sheikh El-Zakzaky is all-advised and self-defeating because when a government chose to follow rule of law only when it serves its interest and treat all others with contempt, then the nation is heading toward an eventual collapse. The great Philosopher, Plato said it right, that “Where the law is subject to some authority and has none of its own, the collapse of the state, in my view, is not far off”.
Letting an iconic figure like Sheikh El-Zakzaky die in prison is the last thing Nigeria would want right now. As a nation, we’re already ravaged by hunger, insecurity, and economic crisis among others- no one would certainly want the repeat of another Boko Haram. The government should therefore do the needful, by rendering the Sheikh and his wife the best medical care possible because a stitch in time, they say, saves nine. And most importantly, justice should be served to Sheikh El-Zakzaky and other victims of Zaria massacre.
Maigatari writes from Jigawa State and can be reached at Maigatari313@gmail.com
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