Rumoured Death: We're Not Fooled by Zakzaky's Video Clip, Say Shiites Leaders

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has  stated that it is not fooled by the video clips of its leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, which was made public after a press conference last Saturday in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Kaduna, spokesman of the Islamic group, also known as Shiite, Ibrahim Musa, said: "We are not placated by Sheikh Zakzaky’s video clip."

The press conference was arranged by the DSS for the Islamic leader following rumours that he had died in detention.

Few second of the video clip was made public after the press conference.

The IMN, however, said it was not impressed with the stage managed press briefing and "certainly is not fooled by the antics of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s security agencies.

"We are not placated by Sheikh Zakzaky’s short and edited video clip."

Musa said although it was cheering to see the IMN leader speaking live in the short video clip after over two years of  illegal detention, saying however that "it falls very short of expectations of his total and unconditional freedom as ordered by the Federal High Court Abuja."

According to Musa, "credible and dependable sources have it that the arranged interview by the security men was made to appear as impromptu, but our leader, Sheikh Zakzaky, granted a much longer interview and addressed far more issues than was released.

"What did he say about his continuing detention? What did he say about his similarly incarcerated wife and her own ill health? What did he say about the legal tussle or even how the whole saga began in the first place? What did he say about the destruction of his properties, the desecration of his mother and children's graves? What did he have to say about the killing of his elder sister, a nephew, three sons and over a thousand of his disciples? What was his reaction to the mass grave at Mando in Kaduna which the security did their utmost best to conceal?

"Why did he opt to challenge his supposed 'protective custody' in court when the authorities are telling the world that it was of his own volition? Why did he reject going to Kaduna State constituted Judicial Commission of Inquiry but submitted a memo to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo panel of investigation only to refuse giving testimony in secret? The questions are nearly endless.

"We challenge the security forces to either release to the public the full unedited interview, or allow an open live free interview with no restrictions.

"The local and global free Zakzaky campaigns will most certainly continue. Our goal is not to see Zakzaky in a controlled press clip but our goal is his unconditional freedom and his wife as ordered by a competent Nigerian court. Nothing short of that will suffice."