The Islamic Movement in Nigeria,
IMN, has stated that the claim by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai
Mohammed, that the Federal Government spends N3.5m monthly on Sheikh Ibrahim
El-Zakzaky’s feeding is not true.
Spokesman of the sect, Ibrahim
Musa, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday to journalists in Abuja.
El-Zakzaky is IMN’s supreme
leader, who has been held in detention since December 2015.
However, Musa described
Mohammed’s claim as a smokescreen to draw public attention away from
government’s many violation of El-zakzaky’s rights and those of his followers.
He said that El-Zakzaky’s feeding
standard had even dropped since he was transferred to Kaduna from Abuja six
months ago.
Musa harped on the need for the
incarcerated cleric to be released rather than the spending of public funds on
his feeding as claimed.
The statement reads: “The Islamic
Movement in Nigeria believes that this is part of the grand deception of this
administration to present a ‘human face’ after it brutally slaughtered more
than one thousand innocent and defenseless civilians in Zaria in December 2015.
“Let us also note that his
(El-Zakzaky’s) 3 sons who were also in his residence were among those murdered
in cold blood in his presence and buried in mass graves. The atrocity didn’t
just stop at that. His residence was completely razed and later flattened.
“This same government had also
told the world through the Federal High Court in Abuja that the Sheikh didn’t
do anything wrong, but they shot him and the wife and all the atrocities was
only to protect him. The Court was not convinced and so ordered that he should
be set free. The government reneged.
“Now they lie to the world that
they are ‘good’ to him.
“Moreover when some members of
the Islamic Movement in Nigeria met the Sheikh early last month, among the
things he complained of is the poor feeding he is facing since transferred to
Kaduna six months ago.
“Considering his age and failing
health he deserves some special feeding arrangements, but those holding him
custody have denied him that.
“This clearly shows that some
security officers are looting public funds under the guise of keeping the
Sheikh under ‘protective custody’ which a federal high court in Abuja has since
declared illegal under the constitution.
“Also the Minister’s claim which
he said is ‘off the record’ clearly exposes the corruption in the DSS. This
figure could be true in their records, but they actually use that to loot
public funds in the name of feeding the Sheikh, while in reality the Sheikh is
the one catering for himself and buying all his domestic needs.
“The N115,000 daily feeding claim
by the Minister is similar to the case of Nigerian Prisons where the government
claimed they spend N14,500:00 daily in feeding every individual prisoner in
Nigeria. But a visit to the prison tells you that is all lies. The prisoner is
malnourished and sick apart from living in congestion with absolutely zero
hygiene.
“We consider the statement of the
Minister of information as an insult to the personality of our leader Sheikh
Ibraheem Zakzaky. We advise the Minister to desist from involving the Sheikh in
his unfortunate lies and for once tell Nigerians the actual truth that the
government does not spend such amount on Sheikh Zakzaky.
“We reiterate our call for the
government to free Sheikh Zakzaky to enable him seek medical treatment abroad.”
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