Shiite/police clash: NHRC begins probe into killings

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has commenced investigation into the deaths resulting from the clash between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the police in Kano.

The Senior Special Assistant to Prof Bem Angwe, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Lambert Opara, disclosed this today while addressing members of the IMN on a protest March to the commission's office in Abuja.

He said the executive secretary has directed the Monitoring Department of the commission in Abuja to liaise with the Kano office to conduct investigation into the violence and report back for action.

On the figures reported to have been killed, he said: " We cannot rely on some of the figures reported by the media until after our investigation."

In a petition to the commission's signed by S.I. Ahmed of the Academic Forum of the IMN, the movement called for the prosecution of all the police officers involved and the incident and the release of their leader, Sheik Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife.

"Yesterday well armed police men in about hundred trucks, after tear gassing thousands of peaceful brothers and sisters of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria while they are discharging their religious duty- the Annual Arbaeen Symbolic Trek, they opened fire on them," he said.

But the Inspector General of Police has reportedly said the police shot the protesters because they were "armed to the teeth." He also accused them of killing police officers.