THE leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shi’ites, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, was whisked away soon after he arrived in Nigeria, his group announced on Friday.
This is just as the sect declared that it would continue with the struggle for its leader’s release as ordered by a court in 2016.
The Federal Government also claimed on Friday that El-Zakzaky was moved back to Nigeria because he tried seeking asylum in India.
A statement by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Grace Isugekpe, accused the Shi’ite leader of attempting to capitalise on his presence in India to gain international sympathy.
The IMN, in a statement by the president of its Media Forum, Ibrahim Musa, said El-Zakzaky did not reject treatment as widely reported
“As our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, has landed safely at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport today, we wish to set the records straight in order to disabuse the minds of Nigerians from the false claims perpetrated in some sponsored stories and articles in the media concerning his aborted medical treatment in India.
“However, before we do that, we vehemently condemn the way the security agents whisked him away upon arrival without allowing the multitude of journalists that were waiting for him for hours to have a chat with him. We urge the security agency holding him hostage to declare to the public where they are keeping him in the country.
“It is a well-known fact that the Nigerian authorities had tried all their antics to see that the Sheikh wasn’t given a medical leave. Distrustful of the Nigerian government’s offer of a jet to take him to the destination, having survived its attempts to poison and kill him while in detention, our leader, Sheikh Zakzaky, declined the offer and chose to pay for his trip through the Emirates Airline,” the statement said.
It added: “Their ordeal started right here in Nigeria when they were scheduled to board the plane to Dubai. After two hours’ drive from Kaduna to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, they were not given enough time to rest before boarding the plane. They endured an eight-hour flight to Dubai and another three hours flight to New Delhi. Under normal circumstances, as patients suffering life-threatening ailments, they shouldn’t have been subjected to such exhaustion. Nonetheless, our leader and his wife endured the journey hoping that they would get good treatment when they reached New Delhi.
“However, despite their need for rest, they were forcibly wheeled to a hospital on arrival without their personal physician that accompanied them from Nigeria. They were then subjected to physical examination in the absence of the doctors that initially examined them in Nigeria and when they requested for their presence, it was turned down. Another physician that came from London was also denied access to them despite his familiarity with the Sheikh’s case from Nigeria. It was at this point that Sheikh Zakzaky lost confidence in the whole process and refused any further attempt to have him forcibly treated.
“More so, the hospital compromised its independence and medical ethics, treating without obtaining consent of the patients. The health workers were further more interested in taking selfie with the Sheikh and posting on social media, thereby violating their privacies.
“When the Sheikh noticed some physical assault, in addition to the background circumstances, he lost complete confidence in the hospital and demanded to see his own doctors for a substitute arrangement. It is well within every patient’s right to decide whether or not to be treated and to also decide who attends to his health. It is called giving of consent, which every sane autonomous person with capacity is entitled to. Contrary to the Nigerian government’s press statement that misinformed that it was against ‘medical ethics and standard practice,’ it is in fact at the very essence of medical ethics, which every elementary medical person knows.
“The interference of the government raised suspicion that it was planning to kill the Sheikh in India using its international connections. He insisted that if he would not be allowed to see the doctors that brought him to India, he would rather come back to Nigeria and seek another destination for his treatment. This became clear because of the government’s stance insisting on other doctors than the ones that he was in India to meet. They finally decided to bring him back for refusing to succumb to be treated by their chosen doctors.
“It is worth noting that the Kaduna High Court allowed the Sheikh to go to India with the government only supervising, instead, the Federal Government presented him to the Indian government as a dangerous suspect with an unknown ailment coming to India and demanded that stringent security be placed on him. There was even a report that the security agents in India subjected him to physical assault.
“It is glaringly clear that the Nigerian government had an ulterior motive it was nursing using its connections in India when it violated court order and interfered with the procedures of the Sheikh’s treatment. This can also be deduced from the way the security agents whisked him away to an unknown destination after arrival at Abuja international airport, without allowing him to have audience with the journalists that were waiting for his arrival.
“The Islamic Movement will, however, continue its struggle to ensure that our leader gets the appropriate medical treatment he deserves as ordered by the Kaduna High Court. And as we continue with the struggle, we wish to reiterate our call for the Federal Government to comply with an earlier Abuja high court order that has freed him since 2016. We believe obedience to this court order will finally solve the crisis that has been lingering since the Zaria genocide of December 2015.”
El-Zakzaky tried seeking asylum in India —FG
But the Federal Government, in the statement by Gekpe, alleged that the aim of El-Zakzaky was to seek asylum in India and subsequently relocate to another country.
The government said the cleric and his wife were trying to gain international sympathy by openly accusing it of killing their sons in India.
The statement reads: “The Federal Government wishes to inform the public about the latest development in the Ibraheem El-Zakzaky medical trip controversies to India. The government notes with dismay the acts of misconduct exhibited by El-zakzaky that necessitated his repatriation.
“The earlier statement of 14th August 2019 by the government addressed the issues that would have raised some questions with the latest occurrences and particularly the uncelebrated return of El-zakzaky from India. The public may note that El-Zakzaky’s actions in India demonstrated malicious intents that were capable of embarrassing the governments of Nigeria and India.
“With total disrespect and complete loss of decorum for international procedures while in India, he initiated contacts with a team of lawyers led by Ali Zia Kabir Chaudary and Gunjan Singh in that country.
“He also contacted some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) and other Shiite groups. His aim was to seek asylum and eventually relocate to another country.
“It is important to note that if an Indian court had granted El-zakzaky asylum or leave to travel to another country, it would have violated the Nigerian court order that granted him permission to travel for medical treatment.
“However, he used the opportunity of being in India to attempt to internationalise his cause by mobilising the rights groups. Even most unfortunate and rather embarrassing, as earlier stated, was his quest to be relocated to a five-star hotel to receive visitors instead of being admitted in the hospital as a sick person he claimed to be.
“In spite of his misconduct, El-Zakzaky’s spouse went further to antagonise the Indian and Nigerian security agents and accused the latter of killing her children.
“These acts were aimed at winning international sympathy as well as disparaging the Nigerian government. Having subordinated the quest for medical treatment to other ulterior motives, it became obvious that El-zakzaky was focused on realising some sinister motives thus the decision to return him to Nigeria.”