Shiite Women call for the release of Sheikh El-Zakzaky

A group of women from the “Minority Shiite sect” in Kaduna, northern part of Nigeria under the banner of Sisters Forum of the Islamic Movement, recently staged a protest demanding the unconditional release of the leader of Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN),Sheikh El-Zakzaky.

The women mostly in black attire marched to the offices of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat, in Kaduna holding different placards and asking for the release of the leader and other members of the sect.

Addressing newsmen at NUJ Secretariat, Secretary of Shiite Women’s Wing , Hajiya Aisha Hassan, called on federal government of Nigeria to accept its crime by paying Diyya, (Death Compensation) to all affected families and relations.

She complained that the authorities have remained insensitive to the plight of the members detained and killed.

She said the Nigerian army launched an attack in Zaria against IMN members in December and killed more than a thousand people and arrested Sheikh El-Zakzaky.

The women appealed that corpses of members killed by the Army should be released to them for burial according to Islamic rites.

They also called on the government to live up to expectation and accept its crime by paying damages to all affected families.

Hassan further revealed that soldiers molested women and removed their hijab which is a serious violation of Islamic right.

However, she posited that although there were deliberate attempts to intimidate and instigate Shiite sect members into mob action, she gave assurances that the Shiite members will never resort to anything outside legal process of seeking redress.