Sheikh El-Zakzaky rejects Goodluck's apology over the killing of his three sons

ISLAMIC cleric Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky has rejected President Goodluck Jonathan’s apology for the killing of his three sons and 31 other members of his movement when security men opened fire on them earlier this year.

Sheikh El-Zakzaky is the leader of the Shiite Islamic Movement in Nigeria and members of the group were on a procession on July 25 at his Zaria base in Kaduna State when they clashed with security men in the University town. They were marking the annual Quds Day when the clash happened and after an exchange of gunfire 34 members of the sect lay dead with 106 injured.

Following the bloody clash in which three of the sheikh's sons were among the dear, President Jonathan called him on the telephone to apologise. Yesterday, however, the cleric told the visiting chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Professor Chidi Odinkalu, that he expected nothing but justice from the government.

 “You don’t commit murder and say sorry because if that is the case, there is no need for legislation, as whenever one commits a crime, all he needs to do is to say sorry. Why do we have the police, courts and prisons?

These murderers are known. I am not blaming the entire military but I know the killers and they are individuals who answer names. I know their commander is a Lieutenant Colonel who personally shot my children and he stamped on their bodies and stabbed them with knives," Sheikh Zakzaky added.

He said that it is only when criminals are punished that the society acknowledges that a crime was truly committed. According to the sheikh, the Islamic Movement had cause to rejoice over what happened to its members, as they were killed on the path of God.

“My children were identified as my children before they were tortured to death. This is a crime and I can’t imagine how callous and cruel one can be to murder three children simply because he hates their father. They did nothing."

Sheikh Zakzaky praised the NHRC boss for the visit and the concern shown, maintaining that the movement would not fold its arms and accept what happened without any effort but will seek redress through the right channels. Professor Odinkalu pledged that the commission would seek all legal avenues and employ all legal mechanisms to ensure that the law takes its course over the killings.

He added:  “We are all children of one country and one Nigeria. None of us chose to be here but we are all planted here by God for a reason.

"No parent wants to lose three children at a time. These children could be children of any parent but it got to a point in this country where losing people no longer matters, where young people can die and nobody cares."

Zakzaky said the perpetrators of the act intended to isolate the Islamic Movement as another Boko Haram to create hatred between the group and the public. He added that the Nigerian military created the Boko Haram sect.