The gruesome murder of Nigerian pilgrims who were traveling to Sheikhul-Islam Alhaji Ibrahim Niasse’s home country in Senegal has drawn harsh condemnation from the Jam’iyyatu Ansariddeen Attijaniyya of Nigeria. The pilgrims were traveling to senegal through Burkina Faso.
At a news conference on Sunday in the capital of Nigeria, the movement’s national secretary, Sayyidi Mohammad AlQasim Yahaya, demanded for the detention and prosecution of everyone responsible for the heinous crime.
According to Yahaya, reports made available to the leadership of the movement in Nigeria indicated that the delegation of Nigerian pilgrims in convoy of luxurious mini-buses were stopped by Burkinabe army on patrol and made to disembark from the buses, “randomly selected and cold-bloodedly shot to death in a most horrendous display of bestiality”.
Yahaya added that 16 of the Nigerian pilgrims were killed while some vehicles and their occupants are yet to be accounted for.
He said this ignoble act is against all known international convention and human rights charter globally, stressing that extant laws and conventions that guaranteed the sanctity and inviolability of human lives, irrespective of their origin and creed has been violated.
While quoting the African charter on Human and People’s Rights, Act cap 10, 2004, he noted that the law is binding on African state member countries including Burkina Faso and that this has been violated in this case.
“Tijjaniyya world- wide urgently draw the attention of the Nigerian government, the United Nations and Human Rights organisations to as a matter of urgency and responsibility, Wade into this matter by ensuring that the rights of the victims of this massacre are upheld and the blood thirsty culprits are immediately brought to book,” he said.
While awaiting the immediate actions of the world body and the government of Nigeria and Burkina Faso, the Tijjaniyya movement appeals to their teeming members globally to remain law abiding while pursuing course of Justice for the victims and their aggrieved families.
