FG And Shiites’ Threat

On Tuesday, July 9, 2019, Nigerians were jolted as protesting Shiite Muslims belonging to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, stormed the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, leaving on its trail needless avoidable destruction of lives and property.
According to reports, the protest, which has virtually become a regular feature by the group for the release of its detained leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, turned violent as security agents manning the gates of the legislative complex, strove to prevent the surging crowd of protesters from gaining entrance into the National Assembly building with both chambers in session.
By the time the dust of the clash between the agitated Shiites and security forces settled, no fewer than two lives had been lost, scores of others injured, property, including cars and other sundry items destroyed, while innocent and law-abiding people within the vicinity were made to scamper for safety as businesses were disrupted.
In their nearly 40 years of existence in Nigeria, the IMN has had a chequered history of bloody skirmishes with the law enforcement agencies from their main base in Zaria, Kaduna State to Abuja, the seat of the Federal Government and its precincts. The most calamitous was the confrontation Shiites had with soldiers in the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff in December 2015 in Zaria which left a soldier dead while about 347 members of the group were reportedly killed and their property, including their worship centre, destroyed in retaliation. Part of the fallouts of that clash also was the arrest and detention of Sheikh El-Zakzaky and his wife.
Since the incarceration of their leader, the group members have not relented in staging one protest march after another, calling for the release of the duo, with many of the public demonstrations leading to further loss of lives and property in Kaduna, Zaria and Abuja.
The Tide thinks that the Shiites/El-Zarkzaky saga has festered for too long and the time has come to put the entire episode to a definite stop so that it does not further complicate the already dire security concerns in the country.
To this end, we urge the Federal Government to expedite action in prosecuting the cleric if there is substantial evidence to convict him, or set him free, at least, on bail as has been severally granted by courts of competent jurisdiction in the country.
Apart from presenting the government as one that upholds the rule of law and a respecter of the fundamental human rights of its citizens, bail for El-Zakzaky will afford the rumoured ailing Islamic leader the opportunity of getting adequate medical attention, douse tension and eliminate any probability of a repeat of the Mallam Yusuf scenario that gave rise to the Boko Haram scourge.
This said, we must acknowledge the compelling fact that the Federal Government needs to keep an eagle eye on the IMN in order to nip their demonstrated inclination to upset public order in the bud. They must also be watched closely to ensure that their activities conform with the laws of the land and that their relationship with predominantly Shiite countries like Iran and others is such that would not create problems for our national security and stability.
While their constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of worship and association should be respected, they must be made to understand, in no uncertain terms, that they cannot exercise their rights at the expense or to the detriment of the rights of other citizens and the country at large.
Conversely, we are constrained to advise members of the IMN to rein in their exuberance and always resort to constitutional means in venting their grievances and in seeking redress for any perceived injustice or injury. The incessant acts of brazen aggressive violent confrontations against constituted authorities only portray them as deviants and anti-socials which negate their confessions as a peaceful and law-abiding group.
Islam is widely regarded as a religion of peace and preaches orderliness and the sanctity of human life. Therefore, engaging in any acts that endanger lives and encourage the destruction of property not only gives the esteemed faith a bad name but also demonises its adherents, presenting them as extremists and terrorists and agents of destruction – qualities that are antithetical to God.
The Tide, therefore, insists that the time to end the delicate Shiites’ restiveness is now. However, utmost caution, tact and diplomacy must be employed in dealing with the issue because of the implications for national security and unity. To do any less is to add fuel to an already raging inferno of insecurity occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgency, rampaging killer herdsmen menace, killer bandits on the loose and devilish cultists on the sprawl across the country.
The time to act is now!