The Army's
treatment of Shia Muslims in the country gained worldwide attention this week
for a whole lot of reasons.
In its
continued agitation for the release of its spiritual leader, Ibrahim
El-Zakzaky, members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also called
Shiites, were killed in clashes with the Nigerian Army in Abuja. A previous
clash on Saturday, October 27, where the Army accused Shiite protesters of
attacking a convoy carrying ammunitions, resulted in the death of three people,
with a couple of soldiers also wounded.
The
protesters returned on Monday, October 29 and got involved in another clash
with the Army and the Police. While the Army reported that another three
Shiites were killed, the Shia sect claimed around 50 were killed by troops.
The killings
were largely condemned by many Nigerians and local and international human
rights groups who protested that soldiers should not have employed lethal
methods to deal with the protesters.
However,
in an apparent bid to defend itself against the accusations, the Army took to
its official Twitter account (@HQNigerianArmy) to post a video of United States
president, Donald Trump, endorsing lethal methods under similar circumstances
that the US Army might be about to face. The video was later deleted.
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