PETITION AGAINST SOKOTO STATE GOVERNMENT

THE CASE OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN SOKOTO
At the end of this irresponsible act of official crackdown, aided and abated by the Alu Magatakarda Wammako- led administration, property worth millions of Naira were destroyed. Houses of residence, the Islamic centre (Markaz) which comprises of a clinic, a library, a conference hall, and some blocks of classrooms – all owned by the members of the Islamic Movement in the state were demolished.

Available statistics has so far indicated that over 180 houses of residence and 25 shops belonging to members of the Islamic Movement were demolished, thereby sending over 1200 men, 900 women (most of whom were married) and 1500 children to various towns and cities across the country as refugees, while hundred others are languishing in prisons. This heartless displacement had already led to malnutrition of many children, while several nursing mothers suffered severe trauma and other ailments. This is apart from the state of education of their children which has been unjustifiably disturbed, and other social needs denied as a result of the onslaught. Several others were left with serious injuries.

Please refer to Appendices I A & B annexed to this memo for the detailed list of the torched houses, destroyed shops, property, the demolished centre (Markaz), list of those injured and the ones displaced (this includes married women and children).
This violence did not stop at the destruction of property and other valuables, as some members of the Islamic Movement were also massacred in cold blood. All this was done in a brazen infringement of their fundamental human and humanitarian rights as enshrined in Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, provisions of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, Cap 10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 and the UN Charter. Please also refer to Appendix II annexed to this memo for the list of those massacred (including Imam Abubakar Aliyu of Takakume – no. 11 on the list).

THE CASE OF A JUNGLE JUSTICE
Another dimension of the extent of the human rights abused meted on the Islamic movement was the mass arrests of 112 of its, all of whom were only later taken to court after being detained for several number of months, a clear violation of known stipulated maximum length of time as allowed by law to detain someone.
It was on 27th of May 2008, a lower court judge, named Mustapha Balle, convicted all the 112 members standing trial to 1000 years in prison, even though only 49 of them were brought to the court that fateful day. This has undoubtedly shown an unprecedented contravention of due process and procedures.

They were denied fair hearing/trial throughout the proceedings. They were not allowed to defend themselves either in person or through their counsel and their requests to cross-examine the so-called witnesses brought by the prosecution were vehemently rejected. Indeed, all the requirement of a criminal trial in any civilized jurisprudence in the world, as sensitive and mandatory as they are were completely not complied with.

In his ‘judgment’, the judge claimed to have found the members of the Islamic Movement guilty on eleven (11) count charges of various ‘offences’ to which they pleaded not guilty but were denied the opportunity to present their cases. Please also refer to Appendix III annexed to this memo for the list of Sokoto Muslim Brothers arrested detained in Sokoto Federal prison and subsequently unjustifiably transferred to mostly Federal prisons in southern Nigeria.

With this Kangaroo trial, the false claim of the rule of law under this democratic dispensation has come to be seen as what it really is; an empty mantra.

THE CASE OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN TAKAKUME
Akin to what appeared to be a springboard for orchestrating human right violations in Sokoto, an Imam of the original Juma’at Mosque in Takakume town, by name Imam Abubakar Aliyu was brutally machete to death by an assassin known as Yusuf Sa’id, This incidence happened after the Imam had performed the Isha’i and was on his way back home from the Mosque.

When the suspect was arrested and interrogated by the police, he confessed that he was sponsored by one Abdurrazak to perpetrate the capital crime. This did not come as a surprise because it is a common fact to the members of the town that Abdurrazak had never for once hide his animosity and hatred towards the late Imam because he had been longing for the position (Imam) before his own very senior brother and the general public settled for the deceased to be appointed.

However, what came as a surprise is that Abdurrazak, who was fingered by the suspect; was never arrested not to talk of being prosecuted before any court of law.
Ironically, the Sokoto State government exploited the situation and mischievously accused members of the Islamic Movement of the murder of the deceased-Imam who, coincidentally happened to be a supporter of the movement and its members.

Thereafter, the government swooped into another bout of massive and indiscriminate intimidation, arrest and detention of innocent and helpless elders in Takakume town, Goronyo local government, Sokoto state.

The human right abuses meted on the people of Takakume does not only stop on the aged and the elderly (some of whom were Octogenarians while others well above ninety), but also includes a blind man by name Mallam Yusuf Makaho, aged 55! As we speak today, these ailing and elderly innocent men are suffering untold hardship and languishing in Sokoto prison!!

The irony of the matter was that none of them was arrested within Takakume village, most of them were criminally deceived and made to leave their families in the Takakume village and on reaching Goronyo town only to arrested by the waiting security men from Sokoto. Please also refer to Appendix II (no. 11) & IV annexed to this memo for the list of Takakume massacred, arrested and imprisoned in Sokoto Federal Prison, Sokoto.

OUR DEMAND
The monumental violations of human rights have continued unabated up till today. It is a travesty of justice, fair play and truth that no world body claiming to secure the rights of human beings has ever taken note of this enormous tragedy that has turned these true indigenes and citizens into refugees, married women into widows, innocent children into victims of educational deprivation and the hitherto economically buoyant people into impoverishment.

From the foregoing therefore, we request your good office to:
o Set up an ”Independent Commission of Enquiry” to investigate and establish the selective and targeted human rights abuses against the members of the Islamic Movement which consist of killings, demolishing of houses, schools, centers, shops, and general destruction of property worth hundred of millions of Naira and displacement of the victims - mostly women and children.
o Direct the Sokoto state government to ensure adequate protection of the human and humanitarian rights of the victims regardless of any sectarian or religious consideration in the state.
o Verify and ascertain the number of people displaced and those illegally imprisoned without access to justice as exhibited in this memorandum so as to appreciate the magnitude of the psychological trauma and deprivation they are going through.
o Direct the Sokoto state government to pay adequate compensation to the relatives of those massacred and those whose houses, shops, and property were destroyed.
o Direct the Sokoto state government to establish a meaningful and transparent domestic accountability process for human rights violations.