Hundreds of Shiite Muslims marched through Kano State on Thursday to mark both the birth of the Prophet Muhammad and the killing of hundreds of Shiites by Nigerian soldiers.
Human Rights Watch says Nigerian troops killed many hundreds of Shiites, including children, in raids in the northern town of Zaria, Kaduna State from December 12 to December 14.
The army says it acted after members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) tried to block the convoy of Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Tukur Buratai— a charge the Shiites deny.
Thursday’s procession in Kano was led by Abdulhamid Bello, who said justice must be served. He read a statement saying the marchers mourn the killings and the detention of their leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, who started Nigeria’s Shiite movement 37 years ago.
A recent report said the army has destroyed the burial place Zakzaky’s mother.
The Britain-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) reported that a bulldozer ripped through the building that houses the tomb of Hajja Saleha Muhammad.
Photos from the scene of the attack show crowds assembling outside the site as a bulldozer razes the building to the ground.
