Shiite Community Accuses Nigerian Government of Persecution and Harassment

The Shiite Muslim Community in Nigeria under the umbrella of the All-Ja’fariyah Development Association, AJDA, has accused the Nigerian government of attacking and persecuting its members.

In a statement on Tuesday, the AJDA spokesman, Abdullahi Hassan, lamented that despite being a peaceful and law-abiding community, Shiites have faced relentless attacks, harassment and discrimination by Nigerian authorities.

Mr Hassan said: “Shias are not useful idiots or criminals who engage in banditry and terrorism, on behalf of foreign interests and enemies of our country, unlike some groups used by these enemies.

“These forces employ bandits for kidnapping, killing, and displacing communities, exploiting resources for their sponsors.

“Shias are not Boko Haram, who create insecurity by killing innocent people, taking over lands of innocent and poor Nigerians, and driving away inhabitants of resource-rich societies to secure and preserve these resources for their trainers and armers.

“Shias are not stooges of leaders or countries used by globalists to usurp resources and impose ideologies that support genocide, in the name of Islam, or excommunication.

“One other crime of the Shias is holding on to the School of Thought of the holy Prophet (SAW), and his pure progeny.

“A School of Thought that abhors disunity, bloodshed, and all forms of crimes against humanity, as opposed to the School of Thought of our decades-long persecutors, who are known for issuing false religious verdicts to call for the killings of Shias.

“It is on record that these two groups Boko Haram and bandits, have killed hundreds of Nigeria’s innocent, patriotic, and gallant security forces that genuinely go to battle them to secure the nation.

“But, surprisingly, the terrorists are not treated by the same security forces or seen by them as threats to the country, instead, they are busy profiling the Shias, who are all known as victims of both the terrorists and the security forces, as the only threats to national security.

“In fact, another worrisome development about the government’s handling of these criminals is the way their known ideologues and supporters, among scholars, are surprisingly, being offered juicy appointments in President Tinubu’s government, as started by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.”