By Zainab Rauf, Abuja Exactly ten years ago, the Nigerian military carried out a mass killing of hundreds of men, women, and children in ...
By Zainab Rauf, Abuja
Exactly ten years ago, the Nigerian military carried out a mass killing of hundreds of men, women, and children in Zaria, Kaduna State, in what has been widely condemned as an atrocity demonstrating utter contempt for human life and accountability.
Amnesty International documented the events, revealing that the military burned people alive, razed buildings, and dumped victims’ bodies in mass graves. Despite this, no one has been held accountable.
More than 350 people were unlawfully killed between 12 and 14 December 2015 following a confrontation between followers of the Islamic movement of Nigeria and soldiers. Soldiers reportedly set fire to a makeshift medical facility in Islamic movement leader Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky’s compound while it was full of attendees, including women and children, and threw grenades into rooms where many were trapped. Those who could not escape were burned alive, leaving piles of corpses.
In a desperate attempt to cover up the atrocity, the military sealed off areas around El-Zakzaky’s compound, the Hussainiyya, and other locations. Bodies were removed, sites razed, rubble cleared, bloodstains washed, and spent bullets and cartridges removed from the streets.
Amnesty International identified a mass grave near Mando. Satellite images from 2 November and 24 December 2015 show disturbed earth covering an area of approximately 1,000 square meters.
“The military not only used unlawful and excessive force against men, women, and children, unlawfully killing hundreds, but also made considerable efforts to cover up these crimes,” Amnesty International Nigeria said.
Ten years on, families of the missing are still waiting for news of their loved ones. Amnesty International has called for a full, independent forensic investigation, exhumation of bodies, and an impartial probe to hold those responsible accountable.
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