The Jam’iyyatu Ansaariddeen Attijjaniyya (JAMAA) of Nigeria
says its members have been allegedly killed by soldiers in Burkina Faso.
Addressing a press briefing at the weekend in Abuja, Sayyidi
Yahaya, national secretary of the group, said 16 of its members were killed on
their way to Senegal.
He said members of the group regularly visit Senegal, the
home country of their leader, Ibrahim Niasse Al-Kaulahee, for conferences and
Maulid celebrations.
“During such movements, convoys of vehicles from Nigeria
used to travel through international borders to Kaolack, Senegal, traversing
countries such as Niger, Burkina-Faso, and Mali,” Yahaya said.
He said a delegation of Nigerians in buses was stopped by
the Burkinabe army on patrol and asked to disembark from their vehicles.
“They were randomly selected without any questioning and
cold-bloodedly shot to death in a most horrendous display of bestiality. The
current number of casualties is 16 dead while some vehicles and their occupants
are yet to be accounted for.”
The group asked the federal government and United Nations to
investigate the matter and ensure justice is done.
“Deriving from the
above, we hearken to urgently draw the attention of the Nigerian government,
the United Nations, and genuine human rights organisations to, as a matter of
responsibility, wade into this matter and ensure that the rights of the victims
of this massacre are upheld and the blood-thirsty culprits are immediately
brought to book,” Yahaya said.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the
killing of the pilgrims.
In a statement issued by Garba Shehu, presidential
spokesperson, Buhari said the Nigerian embassy in Burkina Faso is engaging with
the Burkinabe authorities to ensure the perpetrators are made to face justice.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has received the tragic news of
the murder of a number of Nigerian Muslim pilgrims on their way to Kaolak,
Senegal when the buses conveying them came under gun attack in Burkina Faso,”
the statement reads.
“The President
expressed his condolences and prayed for the safety of other Nigerians stranded
there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Nigerian Embassy in Burkina
Faso, is engaging with the Burkinabe authorities and awaits the outcome of
their investigation of the unfortunate incident, and if necessary, to ensure
that all culprits are appropriately sanctioned.
“The Nigerian Government will make every effort to secure
the mortal remains of the deceased and the survivors of the attack.”
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