By Jamshed Abbas
It was a cloudy day and rain seemed imminent on Saturday, August 10, , as people gathered at the Art gallery in downtown Vancouver to demand that the Nigerian government release Sheikh Ibrahim Yaqoub Al-Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), an organization with an estimated 20 million members and a record of humanitarian work on a massive scale in that Western African country.
The IMN has a history of providing services such as free medical care and housing and it has good relations with Christians and other religious denominations in Nigeria. The movement is deeply rooted in and committed to a philosophy of nonviolence and engagement.
Sheikh Zakzaky founded the IMN while a student at Ahmadu Bello University and was arrested by various Nigerian regimes in the 1980s and 1990s. But it wasn’t until the mid 2000s that the Nigerian regime started a truly brutal and horrific crack down on the Sheikh and his followers as the movement grew in leaps and bounds and attracted all segments of society towards itself. The latest iteration of human rights violations and vicious political violence against the group can be traced to Friday 25 July 2014 when the Nigerian army opened fire on people protesting on Al Quds day against the Israeli regime. Thirty-five people were mowed down in cold blood, including 3 of the Sheikh’s sons.
The speech by Sheikh Murtaza Bachoo at the Vancouver Art Gallery emphasized the necessity of protesting the injustice that has been inflicted upon Sheikh Zakzaky and many Nigerians. It highlighted the peaceful and cooperative nature of the IMN. Other speakers pointed out that the IMN has spoken out against ISIS and Boko Haram and has worked to spread peace and harmony in Nigerian society. Sheikh Bachoo pointed to the support for Sheikh Zakzaky from various Christian leaders in Nigeria as proof of the multi-denominational approach of the IMN. He also condemned the Buhari government for its brutality against the Nigerians and ill treatment of Sheikh Zakzaky. The atmosphere was somber, but was underlined with a feeling of fulfillment because as the Sheikh pointed out and the crowd that had gathered to watch him speak affirmed, standing up and raising one’s voice for the oppressed is always a spiritually fulfilling activity that gladdens one’s heart and raises one’s spirits.
The culmination of the Nigerian governments irrational fear of a popular movement came with a brutal attack on the house of Sheikh Zakzaky, in which hundreds of his followers were shot and three more of the Sheikh’s sons were gunned down. The incident became known as the “2015 Zaria massacre.” The Sheikh suffered gunshot wounds and lost an eye and his wife was also shot by the bloodthirsty security forces. Both the Sheikh and his wife were subsequently arrested and the Sheikhs’ health rapidly deteriorated while under detention. He suffered many mini-strokes and a recent visit by doctors found alarmingly high cadmium and lead levels in his blood stream, leading many to believe that the Buhari government was intent on assassinating the leader in captivity.
The innocence of Sheikh Zakzaky and the injustice meted out to him by President Muhammad Buhari and the Kaduna regional government was laid bare in a judgement of the Nigerian High court on December 2nd, 2016 when the judge declared that false justification of holding the Sheikh “for his own protection” was not sufficient to warrant his detention. The judge ordered the government to pay the Sheikh $50 million Naira ($164,052) in compensation. Yet, the corrupt regime ignored the legal order and continued to hold the Sheikh in detention as his health gradually worsened. Various Christian and Muslim personalities through out Nigeria called for his immediate release as all people of conscience throughout Nigeria and the rest of the world rallied around this innocent man. Protests were held all over the world, including Vancouver. In the UK, a 30-day marathon protest was held outside the Nigerian High Commission, demanding his release.
As people screamed “freedom!” in response to the question “what do we want?”, the drab and cloudy weather at the Vancouver Art Gallery seemed to not matter, for the cries for justice freshened the damp afternoon air and filled the people with hope. The clouds threatened all day, but not a single drop fell on the crowd that had gathered to protest a gross injustice. It seemed that the weather, too, was aligned with people’s hearts and their thirst for justice. It started raining shortly after the crowd dispersed.
Note: latest news indicates that the Sheikh has finally been released on bail to seek medical treatment and traveled to India from Nigeria on Aug 12. This came after yet another court order and as international pressure on the corrupt Buhari government reached a crescendo. We thank Allah for his release and will continue to speak out against injustices all over the world.
