Iran Pursuing Nigeria’s Investigations on Shiite Killings: Spokesman
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari reiterated Tehran’s determination to follow up on Nigeria’s investigations into the recent massacre of dozens of Shiite Muslims by the African country’s army.
“Contacting their Nigerian counterparts, Iranian President (Hassan Rouhani) and Foreign Minister (Mohammad Javad Zarif) have voiced the Islamic Republic of Iran’s concerns about the recent incident and their expectations of managing the crisis,” Jaberi Ansari said in his weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday.
“Nigeria has announced that an investigation committee has been set up in this regard,” he said, adding that Tehran will pursue the investigations of the committee and hopes that its findings will help prevent a recurrence of such crises.
According to reports, at least 100 people were killed earlier this month when the Nigerian army raided the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) headquarters and arrested its leader in the northern city of Zaria.
On December 13, the army raided several buildings connected to the Islamic Movement and the home of Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky. They arrested him and killed key members of the group, including Zakzaky’s second-in-command and spokesman.
According to Ibrahim Musa, the movement’s spokesman, about 800 Shiite Muslims were killed in the army’s attack.
On Saturday London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said three sons of Zakzaky were killed in the raid.
Zakzaky had also lost three other sons in a similar attack by the Nigerian Army on an International Quds day rally in July 2014.
