But for the intervention of security men Kaduna State would have experienced another major carnage when youths clashed with Shiite members in Tudun Wada area of the state. However, two members of the Shiite movement were reportedly killed in the Saturday scuffle which erupted when members of the Shiite movement who attempted to rebuild its school destroyed near Zango road, Tudun Wada in Kaduna, were allegedly attacked by angry youths.
The attack in which about a dozen persons were reported injured raised tension which spread to Ungwan Muazu, Kinkinau and as far as Nnamdi Azikwe way. Sho owners quickly locked up their shops as businesses were shut down in the moment of madness.
Cold war had been brewing between the state government and members of the Shiite movement who had been having clashes with security personnel especially the military.
Saturday’s skirmish was between the youths said to be fighting on behalf of the Kaduna residents and the Shiite members who have severally accused the State government of inciting the public against them.
Mr. Awwal Maikyau, the Special Adviser on Youth to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, was attacked as he tried to mediate between the youths and the Shiite members.
The State police spokesman, Aliyu Usman appealed for calm.
In a statement signed by the Shia Islamic movement of Nigeria (IMN’s ) president, Ibrahim Musa, on Friday, the members said the Kaduna State government was behind the attacks against them.
“Clearly, this is nothing but an afterthought. What happened in the wake of our peaceful Ashura mourning procession was a carefully planned plot, meticulously executed with all machinery of government. The government had all along tried to give their brutal clampdown on Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) members a semblance of an altercation between IMN and the masses.
“Kaduna state governor, Nasiru ElRufai alluded to this right from the outset of the attacks in December, 2015 in his infamous state-wide broadcast. His utterances and body language since then left no one in doubt his disdain for IMN members. Using all the tools of governance at his disposal, in private and openly, often in total disregard to reason, sanity or law, he exhibited extreme hate for IMN.
“As a fore-runner to the latest brutality, he issued an executive order banning us from exercising our rights to practice our religion with a threat to jail anyone who does up to seven years in his jail. For daring to mention that his order is in clear violation of all known sane laws of the land and beyond, he ordered the arrest and prosecution of Ibrahim Musa, the President of the Media Forum. How then can El-Rufai now shed crocodile tears having incited violence on a people through his hate posture and actions against such people? They read the body language of the government in their favour and acted based on that, and with full support of all the instruments of governance over which he presides.
“We have it on record how certain individuals and hate preachers took to the media and the podium respectively calling on the masses to join the government of El-Rufai in what they termed an “all-out war on Shia.” The government and El-Rufai has neither refuted that nor call the perpetrators to order or better still arrest and punish the culprits, since they are well known and the actions were done in broad daylight. Simply put, El-Rufai is very much culpable,” the statement said.
