A Nigerian court on Wednesday acquitted and dismissed all charges against Shi’ite leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky.
The Kaduna State High Court presided by Justice Gideon Kurada delivered a favorable judgement in the “no case submission” filed by the defense lawyers on the case brought against the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife, Malama Zeenah Ibrahim, who were standing trial for sundry trumped up charges, including that of aiding and abetting culpable homicide punishable by death. With this victory in court today, the false charges filed against them has finally been punctured for good after almost five years of excruciating illegal detention.
“This judgement has not only vindicated them and all members of the Islamic movement in Nigeria, but it is certainly a victory for perseverance in the face of extreme persecution by the Nigerian government. It is a victory for truth and justice against tyranny and impunity,” said the spokesperson of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim Musa.
The Kaduna state government filed charges against Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife a year and a half after a federal high court in Abuja ruled that their continued detention was unconstitutional, illegal and a severe breach of their fundamental rights and thereby must be set free and compensated.
“We, therefore, give praises to the Almighty for yet another successful outing, which further proves to the world that the Islamic Movement and its leader, are only victims of impunity and mischievous plots by both the Buhari-led federal government and the El-Rufai-led Kaduna state government. Since both governments have again failed in court after a fair trial, we expect them to respect the judgement of this honourable court and the course of justice to release them with immediate effect,” Musa said. “We wish to use this opportunity to also say a big thank you to all people of conscience, human rights activists and organizations, journalists and all those that joined in our dogged campaign for justice for the victims of Zaria genocide for the past five years. Thank you and God bless.”