Nigerians commemorate seventh anniversary of Zaria Massacre, in which over 1,000 Shias were martyred

The Shia followers of Ahlulbayt (peace be upon them) in Nigeria commemorated the seven-year anniversary of the tragic martyrdom of a thousand Shias, who were killed by the Nigerian army while they were reviving mourning ceremonies in the city of Zaria.

This year, many Nigerians used social media to remember the slain martyrs, while all these years passed without any investigation, according to what was published by the Nigerian newspaper (Al-Shaab), and followed by (Shia Waves Agency).

The newspaper stated in a detailed report, that “Nigerian army officers opened fire on hundreds of Shias who participated in a mourning procession in Zaria, Kaduna state, killing one thousand of them”.

It added, “The Nigerian army claimed at the time that the death toll was only seven people, which was denounced by Shia leaders in the country”.

The newspaper added, “Since the incident occurred seven years ago, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has not used his position to seek justice and punish the perpetrators, merely saying that the victims angered the soldiers.”

At the time, local and international human rights groups strongly condemned the extrajudicial killings and described the army’s action as excessive killing, while the investigation committee’s recommendation went unheeded and the perpetrators of the massacre were left unpunished.

 After all these years, activist and lawyer Chidi Odinkalo said: “What happened is a major massacre against the Shias.”

 “I hope that the perpetrators of the crime never find peace,” she added.