Deaths At least 348 | Perpetrators Nigerian Army | |
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Location Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria Date 12–14 December 2015 (2015-12-14) Target Shia community, Islamic Movement of Nigeria | ||
The Zaria massacre was a massacre carried out by the Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria on Saturday, 12 December 2015. Up to 348 Shiites, including members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria were killed.
Contents
The Army claimed that it had responded to an attempt to assassinate Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. This claim has been strongly rejected by the Islamic Movement and several human rights organizations who argue that the massacre occurred without any provocation.
Domestic and international reactions
Peaceful protests to condemn the killing of Shia Muslims in Nigeria by the Nigerian army were held in different cities of India, including Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad. Demonstrations were also held in Tehran and Mashhad in Iran.
Investigation
In January 2016, the Kaduna State Government formed the Commission for Judicial Inquiry into the causes of clashes in Zaria between the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and the Nigerian Army in December 2015, under the chairmanship of Justice Mohammed Garba, the presiding justice of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal.
Findings
On 1 August 2016, the commission of inquiry found the army gunned down 348 Shiites and urged the prosecution of all those involved in the killings.