US government deeply concerned on reports of Shiites deaths in Nigeria

The US Embassy recently released a statement on reports of Shiites death in Nigeria, it goes in to say that the US was "deeply concerned," about it and calls on the Nigerian Government to investigate the claims.

“While many details of the incidents that reportedly began on Dec. 12 remain unclear, we are dismayed to learn of multiple civilian deaths,” the embassy said in the statement. “It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilize the situation. The United States calls on the government of Nigeria to quickly, credibly and transparently investigate these events in Zaria and hold to account any individuals found to have committed crimes.”

Representatives of the Islamic Movement Sect in Nigeria say that up to 1,000 of its members were killed by the military. Military officers however acknowledged that seven people were killed, but no updated numbers has been provided. The proceeded to say that the clash was provoked by the sect’s members when they proceeded to block a convoy carrying the army’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, and it was believed that his life was in danger. 

On Wednesday, the Nigerian government said that President Muhammadu Buhari had sent a delegation which included the Interior Minister Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau and Solomon Arase, the police inspector general, met with the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, and a local emir, Zubair Jibril Mai Gwari.n Tuesday night to Kaduna State, which includes Zaria, in an effort to defuse tensions.

The human rights group Amnesty International also released a statement-

“An impartial investigation is urgently needed into these killings,” the group’s Nigeria director, M. K. Ibrahim, said in a statement on Tuesday evening. “Whilst the final death toll is unclear, there is no doubt that there has been a substantial loss of life at the hands of the military. Anyone responsible for unlawful killings should be brought to justice. Those in detention must be granted access to medical care as a matter of urgency and either charged with a recognizable criminal offense or released.”