Tribune Online
Time to resolve the Shi’ite issue
THE relationship between the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a religious sect also known as the Shiite movement, and the constituted authorities in the country has always been testy. It is unclear whether this derives from the tenets of its own variant of Islamic faith: members of the sect seem to have utter disdain for the constitutional order, even though they seek legal redress whenever government resorts to the use of strong-arm tactics to subdue them. While it is evident that the sect has a propensity to make scanty recourse to the law and sometimes even to reason in its modus operandi, the government too has yet to pursue its quest to whip it into line strictly within the precincts of the law. And that is the crux of the matter. There are incontrovertible pieces of evidence of acts of lawlessness by the Shi’ites, but the government too has been less than lawful in the handling of the issue.
The palpable fear is that the state may be inadvertently encouraging the emergence of another set of faith-based warmongers and criminals whose activities could be more pernicious to its wellbeing than those of Boko Haram. The government’s penchant for suppressing IMN by the use of measures outside the instrument of the law could only end up driving the sect underground, only for it to resurge in another clandestine resistant army of discontents just like Boko Haram. Perhaps some people in government have forgotten or are conveniently feigning ignorance of the fact that this was how Boko Haram started.
The veritable possibility that unsavoury history could be repeated in so short a time should ordinarily make a proactive government to quiver and reconsider or review the efficacy of the strategy it has deployed to ensure that the activities of the sect conform to the law and are not in violation of other peoples’ rights. Truth be told, in the immediate period following the tragic encounter of 2015 when the sect allegedly defied the Nigerian Army during one of its notorious processions which culminated in hundreds of deaths, its profile as a religious organisation, though not penitent outright, was somewhat peaceable. It was the prolonged incarceration of its leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife without trial, and later the government’s refusal to release them on bail in defiance of court orders, that reignited the unruly conduct and brazen processions that are characteristic of the sect.
It is rather unsettling that Shiites now carry arms and confront security agencies regularly. Last week, they left no one in doubt that they have literally become outlaws as they did not limit their unruly conduct to their infamous processions; they invaded government institutions, including the House of Representatives and the Federal Secretariat, causing commotion and panic. And indications that they intended to protest outside Abuja and the North were confirmed as they indeed protested in Lagos. That is rather perilous and should be swiftly contained. The clear but dangerous signal is that the sect is becoming more and more daring and unruly by the day, an indication that official efforts have failed so far to bring its activities within the ambit of the law.
Nonetheless, the government should resist the temptation to continue its repressive strategies against the sect because it lacks the moral ground to do so. It has acted in a lawless manner by disobeying court orders for the release of the sect’s leader. El-Zakzaky has been held in prison for years without trial. A court of competent jurisdiction has ordered his release on bail. The House of Representatives and Senate have passed resolutions asking the Federal Government to release him as ordered by the court. But the executive arm of government saddled with the responsibility of carrying out court orders and implementing legislative resolutions is passing the rather curious and erroneous message that it understands national security more than the courts and the legislature. We like to stress that abridgment of the rule of law under whatever guise is reckless and unacceptable. It detracts markedly from the credentials of a democratic state.
The veritable point to note is that notwithstanding the propriety or otherwise of the arrest and incarceration of El-Zakzaky, once the court has made pronouncements on his freedom from custody, that should have been the official way to go without prompting from any source. Any other action to the contrary is irresponsible and intolerable. It can only encourage the resort to self-help, as is being witnessed in the activities of the IMN lately. It is also important to point out that there is an international dimension to the Shi’ite issue. And it is axiomatic that Nigeria is not ready for another security issue with international dimensions. An illegal action cannot legitimately cure the defects of another illegality. Ultimately, the way to go is dialogue.
The Federal Government should dialogue with the IMN and release El-Zakzaky from custody. Such a step will not take anything away from it. On the contrary, it has the potential to achieve peace because it could take the wind out of the Shiites’ sails and leave them substantially bereft of justification for lawless actions.
Time to resolve the Shi’ite issue
Tribune Online
Source: Tribune
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