Inspector General of Police Explains Why El-Zakzaky Cannot Be Seen by Anyone

Posted by Lolade on Tue 22nd Dec, 2015 - tori.ng

As the controversy surrounding the whereabouts of the Shiite Muslim leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky continues to gather steam, the Inspector general of police, Solomon Arase, has explained why access to the sect leader cannot be granted yet.

Leader of Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky

The inspector general of police, Solomon Arase, has disclosed the condition necessary to grant access to the group’s spiritual leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, following the clash between the the Islamic Movement of Nigeria and the Nigerian Army.

Admitting that the leader was currently undergoing medical treatments at an undisclosed facility and in police custody, the inspector general said that to make the access to the sect leader possible, he would have to seek “orders from the above”, Premium Times reports.

The police boss said this on the heels of a request put forward by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) through its seven-man committee during a meeting with him at his office on Monday, December 21, to know the whereabouts of the Shi’ite leader.

The committee was said to have met with Arase and all the deputy inspectors general of police, assistant inspectors general of police and commissioners of police at the force headquarters in Abuja.

There had been a clash between members of the sect and the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, on December 12 and 13 in Zaria left a yet unknown number of sect members, including the sect’s second-in-command, Muhammad Turi, dead, reports revealed.

During the meeting of the Islamic affairs committee, Arase confirmed, according to Premium Times, that Elzakzaky was in police custody receiving treatment, but could not yet grant anyone access to him until his health improved.

The police chief reportedly assured the delegation that Mr. El-Zakzaky was doing well and not under any life-threatening condition.

Further in their request, the committee asked Arase to allow the bodies of those killed in the clash to be released to their families for burial, demanding to know the exact number of those killed and injured in the clash thereby demanding access to the injured.

The police IG responded by saying that he would revert to the NSCIA after seeking permission on the best response to the delegation’s requests.

Meanwhile, the son of El-Zakzaky, Muhammed, has said that the Nigerian army killed three of his brothers during last week’s attack on their residence in Zaria in an interview with ABNA.