Iran Summons Nigerian Envoy over Quds Day Deaths

(FNA)- The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Nigeria's charge d'affaires in protest at the recent killing of a group of demonstrators who participated in the International Quds Day rallies held in support of the Palestinian nation.

During the meeting in Tehran on Thursday, the foreign ministry condemned the attack and called on the Nigerian government to identify and punish the perpetrators of the gruesome act.

During the meeting, the Nigerian chargé d'affaires expressed regret over the deadly attack and promised that Abuja would investigate the incident.

"The Nigerian government has also condemned this attack and a joint fact-finding committee is scheduled to be set up soon to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of this incident," the envoy said.

At least 25 Nigerian demonstrators were gunned down by security forces during the anti-Israeli rally in the ancient city of Zaria in Nigeria’s Kaduna state on July 25.

Earlier this week, the Iranian foreign ministry deplored the attack by the Nigerian troops on peaceful rallies by Muslims on the International Quds Day on Friday.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran assumes the armed attacks on the Quds Day rallies in Zaria city in Nigeria as unacceptable and completely inhuman," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said.

She expressed regret that Muslim Nigerians were brutally attacked while they were holding rallies in support of the Palestinian nation's rights and in protest at the crimes committed by the Zionist regime in the occupied territories.

Afkham underlined that the Islamic Republic of Iran expects the Nigerian government to act responsibly vis-à-vis these attacks and punish those responsible for the atrocities.

The Quds Day rallies turned violent as Nigerian troops killed a number of participants in a major city in the Northern parts of the country, including the three sons of a prominent Muslim leader who is an opponent of Boko Haram.

Further to the shootings and killing of pro-Palestinian protesters at Friday’s Al-Quds Day march in Zaria, and the subsequent killings in custody of protestors, which led to the killing of the three sons of a Muslim leader, the army raided the Hussainiyyah Baqiyyatullah Islamic Centre affiliated to the Islamic Movement and opened fire killing 3, and injuring 7 on Saturday.

The center where some of the injured from Friday’s massacre (photos are available here) were sheltering, as well as where some of released bodies of those killed were being prepared for burial.

This adds to Friday’s death toll. Among those killed were 3 sons of the Islamic Movement’s leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Zakzaky who is a harsh critic of Boko Haram terrorist group. Killed at the demonstration was Syed Mahmoud, whilst the two other brothers Syed Ahmed and Syed Hameed, were taken into custody with their brother Syed Ali. All three were shot and only Ali appears to have survived.

Whilst the reports from Friday’s massacre indicated that the troops involved were from the Sabon Gari barracks, those in charge there are claiming that the troops involved were in fact sent from Abuja and were not commanded from the locale.

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria is not an armed movement.  It has organized peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstrations on annual basis for over 33 years across Nigeria and particularly in the state of Kaduna.

IHRC Chair, Massoud Shadjareh said, “The Goodluck- Netanyahu cooperation is resulting in massacres beyond Gaza’s borders. The blood of these young men and women killed in Nigeria is equally on the hands of both men and regimes."