A Kaduna State High Court
had on Thursday ordered that El-Zakzaky and his wife be transferred from the
custody of the DSS, to a Correctional Centre in the state.
The Islamic Movement in
Nigeria, IMN, has condemned the transfer of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his
wife from the custody of Department of State Services, DSS, to Kaduna Central
Prison.
A statement issued by
Ibrahim Musa, the president of the Media Forum of the Islamic Movement on
Thursday, said “we view any attempt to take Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife to
anywhere other than a hospital that is sufficiently equipped to handle their
medical needs as punishing them further.”
The Movement berated the
facilities at Kaduna Central Prison where the couple were taken to, saying:
“The Kaduna prison is dilapidated and is without any medical facility. It was
in that very prison that some survivors of the Zaria genocide of December 2015
died due to lack of medical attention. It can therefore never be a substitute
for appropriately furnished medical facility that can take care of their urgent
medical needs.”
Read the press statement in
full:
*We Are Vehemently Opposed
To Subjecting Sheikh Zakzaky To Further Hardships In Whatever Guise*
The Islamic Movement in
Nigeria condemns the wicked antics adopted today in court by the Kaduna state
government through their prosecuting counsels aimed at humiliating our leader,
Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, and subjecting him to further hardships. These
mischievous moves by the Elrufai government were equally meant to ridicule the
formidable legal team of the Sheikh, who had consistently defeated their team
in all cases thus far, including securing a landmark favourable judgement
ordering the immediate release of the ailing Sheikh and his wife, both of whom
the government is still detaining in contempt of a competent court order.
It will be recalled that
the Kaduna state government had chosen a path of dishonour and shame in
charging the Sheikh and his wife for aiding and abetting alleged offences they
couldn’t prove in the same court against hundreds of his supporters. They
refused to diligently pursue the case, but rather use one flimsy excuse or the
other to delay making any progress in the case because of their knowledge that
they don’t have a case against them. When the court granted them medical leave
to go and seek urgent medical attention in India, the government had opposed,
trying to rather put obstacles on their paths. Then they attempted to
assassinate the Sheikh, with the active connivance of NIA, in India. That too
was botched with the Sheikh opting to rather return to Nigeria. Since that
return, the Sheikh and his wife have been largely held incommunicado. No
contact with their legal representatives was given and only a minimal contact
with doctors, and even that only after the Sheikh’s wife took seriously ill in
detention.
We therefore take a very
strong exception to the misinformation in court today that they were being
allowed unfettered access to their legal representatives. To rub salt to
injury, the prosecuting counsels had requested the court to order the immediate
transfer of these very ill persons to the ill-equipped Kaduna Convict Prison
rather than to a well-equipped medical facility.
The Kaduna prison is
dilapidated and is without any medical facility. It was in that very prison
that some survivors of the Zaria genocide of December 2015 died due to lack of
medical attention. It can therefore never be a substitute for appropriately
furnished medical facility that can take care of their urgent medical needs.
We view any attempt to take
Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife to anywhere other than a hospital that is
sufficiently equipped to handle their medical needs as punishing them further.
Their absence in court
again today is even worrisome, because they were equally absent during the last
court session because of what their counsel, Femi Falana, said at that time,
was due to their deteriorating health conditions.
We therefore vehemently
condemn any attempt at further subjecting Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife to more
hardship. We reiterate our unequivocal demand for their immediate and
unconditional release. We will never waiver or succumb, and will leave no stone
unturned in our legitimate demand for his freedom.
SIGNED BY
IBRAHIM MUSA
PRESIDENT MEDIA FORUM
ISLAMIC MOVEMENT IN NIGERIA
SKYPE: Ibrahim.musa42
05/12/2019
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