Zaria clash: Panel gives Shi’ites March 21 deadline to submit memorandum

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry looking into the December 2015 Zaria clash between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise called Shi’ites, and the Nigerian Army has again adjoined sitting until March 21.

The latest adjournment was sequel to the failure of the Islamic group to submit their memorandum as yet. While rising from Monday’s sitting, the panel said it would go ahead to hear the army side of the memorandum, if the Islamic group fails to submit their memorandum before or on that day.

The panel maintained that it would no longer wait for the group to submit their memorandum to it, having given them ample opportunities to do so without success.

Chairman of the panel, Justice Muhammadu Lawal Garba, said this on Monday, in response to information from the group that efforts to gain access to the Shi’ite leader, Ibrahim El-Zazaky, have failed. Representatives of the group had asked for more time, but Garba said the adjournment, being the fifth of its kind, would be the last of such adjournment to be given to the group.

He recalled that Kaduna State government gave the commission six weeks to complete the assignment, but regretted that it had adjourned sitting four times to enable the group submit their memorandum.

To this end, garba urged the group’s counsel to submit their memorandum on or before March 21, declaring that the Commission would go ahead on that day to hear Army side of the memorandum.

Said he, “This adjournment will be the last whether IMN has access to its leader or not, for proper proceedings to commence. The Commission is running out of six weeks allotted to it by the Kaduna State Government.  We give another opportunity to allow IMN to see their leader because the application for adjournment is supported by all the parties appearing before the panel”, Justice Garba remarked.

Earlier, one of the leading counsels to the Commission,  Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN),  informed the Commission that all efforts made to get access to the leader of the Islamic Movement proved abortive.

He explained that in order to ensure that Zakzaky was seen and met before Monday’s sitting, the Kaduna State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Amina Dyeris-Sijuwade,  was contacted and she in turn contacted the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami,  to ease access to group leader without success.

Usman, therefore, appealed to the Commission to give another opportunity to the group by adjourning to another date in order  to try again if the group’s leader could be accessed.

In the words of Usman, “We did the best we could, but because of the busy schedule of the Attorney General of the Federation, we could not go through him, but we met with the Attorney General of Kaduna State,  and she spoke to the Attorney General of the Federation on phone in our presence,  and we were in Abuja for four days, trying to see him, but he was too busy. And before we know it he flew out of the country.

“We are still very optimistic that the Attorney General of the Federation will facilitate IMN counsel access to the leader of IMN.  This is how far we have gone.

“In this circumstance, we crave for the Commission’s indulgence for another opportunity, the last opportunity for the IMN counsel to get access to their client”. Usman pleaded.

The Counsels to the Army and the Shi’ite group, Mr. Biola Oyebanji and Maxwell Kyon, respectively, supported the application for the adjournment.

Also speaking, Secretary to the Commission,  Dr Bala Babaji said “The Commission has strived hard to afford all parties to be fairly represented and treated with justice and fairness in all its deliberations.

“The Commission intends to proceed with its deliberations on Monday, March 21, 2016 by taking the memorandum submitted by the Nigerian Army.

“The Commission will furthermore issue to the public its schedule of appearances and presentations in due course.

“Counsels to the IMN are to submit their memorandum not later than March 21, 2016.

“The Commission reiterates its commitment to encourage the authorities to facilitate access by the IMN counsel to its principal client.

“The commission  adjourned from the -inaugural sitting on the 22nd February to the 24th, then to the 29th and to  7th March and  to the 14th March, and again to March 21, 2016,  all due to the inability of the counsels to the IMN to see their client”, Babaji recalled.