The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has vowed to take a legal action against the Nigerian Army over alleged killing of one of its members, Jibril Usman Sarki, who was an inmate in Kuje Correctional Centre over Free-Zakzaky Protest.
IMN made the threat in a statement by Dr. Dauda Nalado on behalf of the Academic Forum of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria on Saturday in Abuja.
The statement is titled: “Army Killed Free-Zakzaky Protester at Kuje Prison.”
“The team of Nigerian Army that was dispatched to Kuje after the prison break which occurred on Tuesday, 5 July, 2022 attacked inmates fleeing for safety on the street of Kuje.
“An eyewitness informed us that the explosion that occurred and its attendant magnitude forced hundreds of inmates to move out of the prison premises to save their lives.
“Consequently, Jibril Usman Sarki alongside other inmates moved out of the prison. About 2 hours after the incident, the inmates saw some vehicles of Nigerian Army patrolling the streets of Kuje town; they decided to meet the Army and seek for protection and assistance towards voluntary return to the prison.
“The eyewitness noted that, the devastated inmates shouted that “WE ARE INMATES”; but instead of help, the Army rained bullets on them resulting in the inmates lying on the ground.
“The bullets injured scores and killed many including our brother Jibril Usman Sarki. After the shootings, the Army deposited the injured and corpses of those killed with the Prison Authorities.
“Jibril Usman Sarki is an inmate in Kuje prison awaiting trial before Justice Suleiman Belgore of FCT High Court for allegedly participating in Free-Zakzaky protest that took place on July 22, 2019 at Federal Secretariat, Abuja.
“Sarki was arrested in July, 2019 alongside 62 others. Within a week of their arrest, three protesters died in Police Custody at SARS Abattoir due to torture and lack of medical attention and the Police moved the 3 corpses to Asokoro District Hospital. Up till this moment, the corpses are yet to be released to their respective families,” Nalado alleged.
He said despite the assassination of Jibril Usman Sarki, more than 40 Free-Zakzaky protesters being held in the Custodial Centre voluntarily returned to the facility.
“We therefore wish to commend all the 40 inmates for this rare show of restraints after the jail break even as reliable information reaching us disclosed that the whereabout of 3 other Free-Zakzaky protesters is still unknown.
“Accordingly, we condemned in strong terms the killing of brother Jibril Usman Sarki and vow to take necessary legal action against Nigerian Army.
“We shall also hold Buhari regime responsible for whatever happens to our brothers that are still missing,” he said.
According to him, it may be recalled that according to the reports by numerous national dailies, 24 hours before the prison break, there is no single Army personnel in the prison which is a clear indication of compromise of the nation’s security thereby endangering the lives of hundreds of inmates.
“While condemning the attack on Kuje prison, we wish to sympathize with all the victims of this unfortunate incident.
“We urged Nigerians to hold Buhari responsible for the great national embarrassment, which attracted nothing but a mere expression of disappointment by a supposed Commander-in-Chief,” he concluded.
