A civil rights organisation, Initiative for Conciliation and Right Protection on Thursday commended the Federal Government for allowing foreign medical doctors to examine the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim El Zakzaky, and his wife.
The organisation, which asked the government to allow El Zakzaky and his wife to go for treatment abroad, said El Zakzaky’s left eye “is now riddled with bullet particles.”
The ICRP led by Geoffrey Netochukwu, Godwin Ekoja, Bala Hassan, Ahmad Isa and Adelaja Adeoye, said at a press briefing in Abuja that even though the Federal Government had granted foreign medical doctors access to Sheik Ibrahim El Zakzaky and his wife, the report suggested that the couple needed medical treatment abroad.
Ahmad Isa read the statement on behalf of the civil rights movement.
He said, “Investigations revealed that the couple needs treatment that includes surgeries which can only be conducted in well-equipped hospitals outside Nigeria.
“It is a welcome development that after nearly four years of detaining the Sheikh and his wife without proper medical attention of their own choice, the government finally obeyed a court order for the first time concerning the inhuman treatment of these victims of oppression.
“We are displeased that the Sheikh and his wife are still under detention despite the gravity of their injuries and their deteriorating health condition, despite a Federal High Court judgment delivered in December, 2016 by Justice Gabriel Kolawale, which ordered their immediate and unconditional release.”
He added, “We are calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria led by President Muhammadu Buhari to allow Sheikh El Zakzaky and his wife to be flown abroad for proper medical care due to the various injuries sustained during his ordeal in the hands of the military.
“Medical experts who came to Nigeria to check his health clearly stated the need for him to be taken abroad for adequate medical treatment, especially his left eye that is now riddled with bullet particles. The government must take this request very seriously.”
_______
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2019 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant source.
