Speaker: Iran Taking Measures to Aid Shiites in Nigeria
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani announced that Tehran is adopting measures to provide assistance to Nigeria’s Shiite Muslims, who were recently targeted by deadly army attacks.
Speaking in an open session of the parliament Tuesday, Larijani emphasized that Iran is taking some measures to provide help for the Shiites who were attacked by the Nigerian Army.
He made the remarks in response to some Iranian MPs’ demand that the presiding board of the parliament take “a serious stance” against the attacks on Nigerian Shiites.
On Monday, the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission in a statement denounced the killing of a number of Shiite Muslims in the African country, calling on the foreign ministry to follow up on the issue via international bodies.
“The news of the brutal killing of oppressed Shiites in Nigeria by the country’s army hurt the feelings of millions of conscious humans, especially Muslims across the world,” the parliamentary commission said.
“Such behavior shows the height of imprudence of a country’s governing institutions in managing that country…,” it added.
The Iranian parliamentarians further called on the foreign ministry to summon the Nigerian ambassador and voice Tehran’s strong protest to the incident and pursue the issue through the United Nations and international human rights bodies.
According to reports, at least 60 people were killed this past weekend when the Nigerian army raided the Islamic Movement headquarters and arrested its leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, in the northern city of Zaria.
On Sunday, the army raided several buildings connected to the Islamic Movement and the home of Zakzaky. They arrested him and killed key members of the group, including Zakzaky's second-in-command and spokesman.
Aliy, Zakzaky’s son, was among dozens killed during the raid.
Three of Mr. Zakzaky’s sons had been killed in a similar attack by the Nigerian Army in July 2014.
The Islamic Movement insists its members did not attack the convoy of the Chief of Army staff, Tukur Buratai, as alleged by the Nigerian Army.
