Kayode Sesan
As the Nigerian Army continues to insist that the Shiites attempted to kill Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai while the Shiites have denied the claim, adding that soldiers killed sect members with impunity, a video of what really transpired has surfaced.
Nigerian military spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman, had accused the sect of provoking the confrontation. “The Shiite sect, on the orders of their leader, Ibrahim Al Zakzaky, today afternoon in Zaria attacked the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff while [he was] on his way to pay homage [to] the Emir of Zazzau and attend the passing out parade of 73 regular recruits intake of Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria,” said the military spokesman.
However, SIGNAL has obtained a video of what really transpired. Although most of the language spoken is in Hausa, SIGNAL with the aid of local translators established a background context to the conflict that led to the Zaria Shia massacre.
According to our translators, the Shiite procession is held regularly and this particular occasion would not be the first. Usually, when the procession is on, no one is allowed to obstruct the procession. Christians and Muslims alike give way, including cars and convoys by senior citizens and government officials.
In the video, the Shiites are appealing to the Nigerian Army convoy not to disrupt the procession, while the Army insists it would have to pass through. Appeals from both sides seem to have fallen on deaf ears as both parties refused to shift ground. Clearly, from the video it cannot be ascertained that the Shiites made a move to attack or assassinate Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff as claimed by the Nigerian Army.
The events leading to the massacre have forced observers to ask if this was a case of premeditated assault by the Nigerian Army?
Is there more to the massacre than meets the eye? Is there a connection between the age-long Sunni-Shiite conflict especially as a few days after the massacre, Nigeria is signed up to a Sunni ‘Islamic Military Alliance’ of 34 nations to fight terrorism? As these questions continue to beg for answers, the video tells the rest of the story. Watch:
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