The British Government has asked its Nigerian counterpart to hold to account any security agent found culpable in the cracked down on protesting members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, otherwise known as Shi’ites, which led to killing of scores of the protesters.
This came as the IMN, yesterday, released the names of 34 of 40 of its members allegedly killed by security forces in Abuja last week.
The British High Commission in a statement by Louise Edwards, said: “We are concerned by the deaths of up to 50 people in and around Abuja this week. Our thoughts are with the families of those people who have lost their lives.
“We are following events closely, and have expressed our concerns about the levels of violence and numbers of people killed to the Federal Government. We encourage all parties to work together to enable the people of Nigeria to exercise freedom of association, expression and religious belief safely, peacefully and in line with the rule of law.
“It is essential that security forces act in accordance with international and domestic law and work to protect civilians. We welcome commitments by the government of Nigeria to conduct a thorough investigation and to take appropriate action to hold accountable any member of the security forces held responsible for violations of Nigerian law.”
Meanwhile, IMN has released names of 34 bodies so far identified among the over 40 Shi’ite protesters allegedly killed by Nigerian soldiers within four days.
The protests occurred on October 27, 29 and 30 around the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
Comment here