A political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has sai...
A political activist and former Deputy
National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
Comrade Timi Frank, has said that the numbers of death recorded at
Monday’s violent clash between the police and the protesting shi’ite
members are avoidable, calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC)
to hold General Muhammadu Buhari responsible.
Reacting to the clash which led to the
death of many Shi’ite members, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and a
staff of Channels Television, in a statement made available to newsmen
on Tuesday, in Abuja, Frank demanded for unconstitutional release of the
shia leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky to prevent the crisis from degenerating
into more dangerous dimensions.
While commiserating with the families of
a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Channels TV staff and others who died
during the violent fracas, Frank accused the Buhari administration of
abuse of court process, saying the President has taken dictatorship to
the Next Level.
The Bayelsa-born political activist said
security strategy in a crisis situation must be targeted to calm the
situation and not shooting at protesters. He reminded Gen. Buhari that
when he personally led a protest against the police in 2014 no single
shot was fired at his group.
According to him, no past government has
supervised the killing of her citizens directly or indirectly like the
current administration.
He warned against creating another
terrorist group by delibetrately disobeying court orders and refusing to
release the leader of the Shiite by the APC government.
Frank who said it is the right of the
Muslim group to demand the release of their leader from illegal and
unjustified detention, added that “whether we like it or not, Shiites
members are Nigerians, therefore Nigerians must condemn the clamp down
on the group.
“The Buhari government has refused to
obey all the court orders granting the Shiite leader bail before now.
Why is Buhari’s government finding it difficult to obey the numerous
court orders? It is also on record that the leaders of the Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN) and their Muslim counterparts had visited
General Buhari concerning this illegal detention and that of Col. Sambo
Dasuki but the APC’s government has consistently paid deaf ears to all
their concerns.
“The demand for his release has now gone
international. In London recently, a group of protesters were seen
calling for the release of El-Zakzaky and the UK Government did not send
police to shoot the protesters even when the shia leader is from
another country.
“Nigerians must speak up now and channel
the blame to the right direction, which is Buhari and not the
protesting Shiites members who were demanding for the release of their
leader.
“If General Buhari’s government could
negotiate with Boko Haram, bandits and other dreaded groups, why is it
difficult for him to find solution yo the Shi’ites’ agitation?”
Frank called on all Nigerians including
religious leaders and Civil Society Organisations to boldly speak out
now and prevail on the President to release the detained El-Zakzaky and
Dasuki
He warned the government which he
accused of attempting to kill El-Zakzaky to release him unconditionally.
He also appealed to the international community to mount pressure for
the release of the Shiite leader.
He called on the International Criminal
Court (ICC) to indict the IGP, the Chief of Army Staff and the President
for consistently killings the protesting group.
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