Nigerian Muslims commemorate 9 years since Zaria massacre

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria has marked the 9th anniversary of the Zaria massacre, calling for the prosecution of those responsible for the deadly attacks on Shia Muslims.

The movement has reiterated its call for the prosecution of the perpetrators of the December 12, 2015 massacre in Zaria, Kaduna State .The call was made as the movement commemorates 9 years since the horrific murders.

In his speech, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, sent condolences to all those who lost their loved ones during the December 2015 massacre and the subsequent killings .

He detailed how previous governments in the country had successfully attempted to dismantle the movement by carrying out assassinations and targeting him personally .

He also highlighted various instances of blatant disregard for the law by different arms of the Nigerian state in suppressing the brothers and sisters of the movement .

" I commend the resilience of our brothers and sisters of the movement who have endured varying degrees of intimidation and repression from the Nigerian government, its security forces, and, at times, the judiciary," he said .

Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife, Mallimah Zeenah, were arrested on December 13, 2015, in an attack by the Nigerian military on the Baqiyyatullah religious center in the city of Zaria and were detained for the past 6 years before being released in July 2021.

In that incident, the Nigerian Army massacred nearly 1,000 followers of the Islamic Movement led by Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, including his three sons, and later buried them in mass graves.