Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky (H), leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as the Shiites’ group, has been awarded an honorary doctorate on Global Studies: Peace and Conflict Resolution by the University of Tehran, Iran.
Sheikh was awarded at a conference organized by the university recently in Iran.
The University considered Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky as an example of a true mujahid. This was highlighted by leader of the Islamic Revolution.
El-Zakzaky in his short remark at the Juma’a Prayers at the university thanked Iranians in general for the honour. He saluted Sayyid Khamenei (DZ) and expressed his admiration for the strong Iranian resistance.
He reminded the audience of the purpose of his trip to the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was to seek medical attention following his health challenges. El-Zakzaky reportedly has bullet fragments lodged in his body while his wife, Zeenah, has a bullet lodged in her body, among other issues.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Islamic revolution in a meeting with Sheikh Zakzaky (H) and his wife said, “You are an example of a true mujahid in the name of God, and we hope that you will be able to continue your struggle.”
“The cases of recent days in Palestine, especially the bombings and the martyrdom of women, children and men, hurt the human’s heart, but another part of these cases shows the incredible power of Islam in Palestine. With God’s grace, this movement that started in Palestine will lead to the complete victory of the Palestinians,” he added.
Sheikh El-Zakzaky visited the holy shrine of Imam Khomeini (RA), recited the chapters of the Holy Quran and prayed to Allah to bestow upon him the highest position in the hereafter.
He also extended his thanks to the hundreds of people who welcomed him at Imam Khomeini International Airport, Tehran.
The Islamic cleric was arrested in December 2015 after soldiers clamped down on his supporters, killing at least 347 of them, including his children. The army accused them of blocking a public road being used by the then-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.
He was detained without trial for several months causing his lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), to file a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
In December 2016, Justice Gabriel Kolawole ordered that El-Zakzaky and his wife be released from detention into an accommodation that must be provided for them within 45 days.
Justice Kolawole awarded N25 million each, totaling N50 million, to the Shi’ite leader and his wife for the violation of their rights by being held in unlawful custody.
He ordered the Nigerian Government to provide a befitting accommodation for the applicants, their family members and followers who lived with them before they were arrested within the 45-day period. The judge ordered that the accommodation be provided in Zaria, Kaduna State, or in other parts of the state or alternatively in any other part of northern Nigeria.
The government, however, ignored the judgment.
He remained in custody for another 17 months until the Kaduna State Government arraigned him in April 2018 on eight counts bordering on culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of the public peace, among others. However, no army officer was brought to justice for the killings.
The United States in April 2021 classified El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenah as political prisoners. This is according to the 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices issued by the US State Department.
El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, were, however, released from Kaduna Correctional Centre in July 2021, after they were acquitted and discharged by the Kaduna State High Court.
Nigerian authorities only recently reissued the travel documents (passports) of El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenah, which were withheld by security agencies in 2019 after their aborted medical trip to India.
