The Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, Thursday protested in Zaria, Kaduna State, accusing the Nigerian army of kidnapping 50 girls belonging to the Islamic movement.
IMN claimed that the army whizzed away 50 of its girls during an alleged assault on the group on 12 to 14 December 2015.
The group said that the, “Difference between Nigerian soldiers and Boko Haram’s style of operation is that while insurgents acted under anonymity, the soldiers committed the alleged crime openly.
“We still mourn the tragedy of the loss of our brothers and sisters, but the bitter part of it is the abduction of over 50 girls by men of the Nigerian army.
“The abduction of the girls took place immediately after the disastrous massacre at the residence of Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, which is a shameful act that dented the image of the Nigerian military in the international arena.
The IMN lamented that it is terrible that Nigerians should depend on the Nigerian army to free the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls from their Boko Haram captives while the same army is involved in kidnapping.
It continued, “In a situation where Nigerians and parents of the abducted Chibok girls relied heavily with the belief that the army can rescue their abducted children, the same army were caught in a new set of abduction paradox.
“The distinction between Chibok girls’ abduction and Zaria abduction is that Chibok is related to a group that operates in anonymity, while in Zaria, the girls’ abduction was fully undertaken by uniformed men of the Nigerian army.
“Females are precious species that are highly fragile and sensitive; that is the reason why we launched the #BringBackOurZariaGirls campaign; we hope to see the engagement of human right activists, socialists, feminist groups, and all sympathetic minds in the struggle for the freedom of our abducted girls,” the group said.
“They also proceeded to Gyallesu residence of Sheikh Zakzaky, a far location from the worship centre, where they committed massacre in its fullest. They killed the old and the juvenile; also among those killed were infants.
“The Nigerian army spent over 48 hours killing innocent Nigerian citizens without any legal backup. They notoriously failed to allow the law to take its course. At reaching the house of the leader of the Islamic movement, they killed three of his biological sons, shot his wife while he watched, and finally shot him in sensitive spots.
“The Nigerian army whisked the Sheikh and his wife to an unknown destination, and after some few days they handed them over to the DSS.
“It is over nine months now since the tragedy, and our leader is under the custody of the DSS while sustaining gunshots.”
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