On the 9th anniversary of the #ZariaMassacre, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky marked the remembrance of the killings carried out by the Nigerian government against his followers in Zaria from December 12 to 14, 2015. The atrocities, perpetrated by the Nigerian Army, claimed the lives of hundreds of men, women, and children. 

Speaking in Abuja yesterday, Sheikh Zakzaky addressed the conclusion of a three-day commemoration organized by the Islamic Movement. He expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones during the 2015 massacre and in subsequent violent crackdowns under the Buhari administration. 

Sheikh Zakzaky outlined how successive governments had attempted similar actions in the past, driven by ulterior motives to dismantle the movement and silence him. He highlighted numerous incidents of lawlessness by Nigerian authorities in their ongoing campaign against members of the movement. 

Praising the resilience of his followers, Sheikh Zakzaky commended their steadfastness in the face of intimidation, oppression, and systemic persecution by the government, security forces, and even the judiciary. He criticized the government’s controversial claim of "banning" what it calls the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), describing it as an imposed and baseless label. He reaffirmed that a religious movement cannot be legally or rationally banned. 

The commemoration underscored the ongoing struggles of the movement and its call for justice for the victims of the Zaria Massacre.