News Flash As Over 200 Top Muslim Leaders to Attend Emergency Meeting Over Zaria Massacre

Sultan of Sokoto

Current news has it that the leadership of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) which is the highest Islamic body in Nigeria, under the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar summoned the emergency “expanded general purpose meeting ” 

over last week’s massacre of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria.


According to Premium Times, source at the NSCIA revealed that about 200 top Muslim leaders were invited for the meeting called to review the
massacre.


It was learnt that the invitees have already started arriving Abuja. The source said: “The meeting will hold at 4pm today at the National Mosque.”


Another source said those attending Wednesday’s meeting include all elected officials of the NSCIA as well as all past leaders of the body. “Others are leaders of all Islamic organisations in Nigeria, top Muslim leaders, clerics, scholars and traditional rulers.”

He also said all former governors, ministers, Inspectors General of Police, all former Chiefs of Army Staff, Chiefs of Air Staff, Chiefs of Naval Staff and Chiefs of Defence Staff who are Muslims have also been invited for the meeting. “Those serving in the present administration are however, excluded.”

A top official of the NSCIA, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to disclose the meeting to the media, said the NSCIA called the meeting because it was “shocked by the silence of both the government and the human rights community over the massacre”.

“Where is our humanity, how can a people be so massacred and we all remain silent as if it is normal? Today it is the Shiite, tomorrow, it could be me or you,” he said.


Efforts to reach the Secretary General of the NSCIA, Is-haq Oloyode, were unsuccessful. Those close to him said he was on his way to Abuja from his Ilorin base.


The NSCIA official, who spoke to a corespondent said the meeting would likely set up a panel to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident. “We might also look at how to engage the government over this ugly incident,” he said