President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday, December 15, received a call from his Iranian counterpart over the recent Shi’ites killing in Kaduna, North-west Nigeria. Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Hassan Rouhani
According to various Iranian media outfits, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran urged Buhari to act on the issue and ”not allow a small matter degenerate into a bigger one.” Quoting the BBC Hausa service, Daily Trust reports that the Iranian leader also sought explanations on the whereabouts of Shi’ite leader, Malam Ibrahim El Zakzaky, following reports in the Nigerian media that he has been detained by the Nigerian Army.
President Rouhani was also said to have encouraged Buhari to launch a thorough investigation into the incident that led to the death of some members of the group. Earlier in the day, Iran had summoned Nigeria’s charge d’affaires in its country to express its outrage at the Nigerian army’s crackdown on Shiite Muslims in Kaduna state.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also called for “immediate and serious action to prevent violence” against Shiites in a telephone call to his Nigerian counterpart, Geoffrey Onyeama. Experts say the crisis is likely to seriously affect Iranian-Nigerian relations, ruin several agreements reached during the recent visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Shiite-dominated country.
Buhari was in Iran between November 22-24 to attend the 3rd Gas Exporting Countries Forum, to review the market and to examine the opportunities for boosting gas production. Recall that the Nigerian army and members of the Shiite Muslim sect, in Zaria, Kaduna state, had a bloody clash which led to the killing of scores of the sect’s members on Saturday, December 12.
An official statement by Colonel Sani Usman, the army spokesperson, revealed that prior to the bloodbath in Zaria, a convoy of Tukur Buratai, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, was attacked by the Shiite sect on the orders of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky.
The attack allegedly took place while Buratai was on his way to pay homage to the Emir of Zazzau and attend the passing out parade of 73 regular recruits intake of depot Nigerian army in Zaria. A similar face-off last year reportedly resulted in the death of many members, including the sons of the movement’s leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky.