Shiites: Don’t Create Another Boko Haram, House Members Warn FG

Members of the House of Representatives have advised the federal government to urgently engage the Shiite group otherwise known as the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in order to amicably resolve their grievances with a view to avoiding a repeat of what gave birth to the Boko Haram crisis, which the nation is currently battling to curtail.

The advice followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance moved by the Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu on last Tuesday’s invasion of the National Assembly by members of the Shiite movement which left nine police officers injured and several valuables destroyed.

In his prayers, Elumelu had, among other, called for a thorough assessment of the internal security of the National Assembly, compensation for officers who were affected and hospitalised during the invasion.

He also moved that committees on Police Affairs and Internal Security should ascertain if security officers attached to the assembly are insured against occurrences such as what happened on Tuesday and if not to include them under group personnel accident scheme and workmen compensation.

But in their various contributions to the debate, the lawmakers tasked the government to handle the situation with seriousness and prevent it from escalating as the Boko Haram conundrum.

Speaking against the background of his experience in the emergence of the Boko Haram crisis, the Chief Whip, Hon Mohammed Monguno, representing Jere Federal Constituency, Borno State, said: “There are danger signals coming from the present crisis of the Shiite sect going about clamouring for the freedom of their leader.”

He noted: “Those of us that are coming from Borno State, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency can vividly recall that the Boko Haram crisis started the same way the Shiite sect are now masquerading themselves in all the nooks and crannies of not only Abuja but all over the country in the name of marching for the freedom of their leader.

 “There is need to nip this crisis in the bud so that it will not snowball into full blown blood crisis that is going to affect the whole country," he said.

In his contributions, Hon. Bamidele Salam representing Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency, Osun State, also urged the government to be very futuristic about the Shiite matter and “address the root cause of this brewing insurgence.”

According to Salam, “the man El-Zakzaky whose freedom they are asking for, what we have in the public space; he is being held against several pronouncements of competent courts of jurisdiction in Nigeria."

 "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. I want to urge the federal government to please dispassionately look into the matter of this leader of the religious group and allow the rule of law to take its course while not condoning any act of violence," he said.

Speaking in the same vein, Hon. Onofiuk Luke representing Etinan/Nsit Ibom/Nsit Ubium Federal Constituency, who raised a point of order premised on Section 4(1) (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, said the debate on the Shiite invasion of the National Assembly should not be narrowed down to when the members of the legislature are threatened.