Nigeria Army Says Killed Protesters İn 'Self Defense‏'

The Nigerian army has admitted firing at pro-Palestine Muslim protesters in the northern Kaduna State marking the Al-Quds Day, traditionally fixed for the last Friday of Ramadan.



"What is already clear is that the Nigerian Army troops did not initiate and only acted in self-defense after being fired upon," the state-run news agency "ed army spokesman Olajide Laleye as saying.



He said the army was investigating the incident.



Ibrahim Zamani, a college student in the city, had told Anadolu Agency on Friday that at least eleven people were killed when soldiers opened fire on a pro-Palestine peaceful procession in Zaria city.



He said the dead included Mahmoud, the son of Nigerian Shia leader Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakyzaky.



El-Zakyzaky, for his part, said as many as 35 protesters, including three of his sons, had been killed.



He told reporters the fatalities included three people shot on Saturday morning when soldiers were passing by his movement's headquarters.



"We are known to submit to authorities and this year's procession was not the first," said the Shia leader.



"We were very peaceful. The procession was very peaceful until soldiers came from the rear to shoot at our members," he charged.



El-Zakyzaky said one of his sons was shot in the abdomen and started bleeding.



"We tried to rush him to the hospital but the soldiers blocked everywhere along the way and he bled to death," he added.



"The soldiers also arrested some people, including three of my sons. They were taken alive and later killed two of them," said the Shia leader. "They were murdered cold-bloodily."



The Al-Quds Day is commemorated worldwide on the last Friday of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in solidarity with the people of Palestine and to protest Israeli aggression on the holy city, home to Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site.



Muslims worldwide, including in Nigeria, often mark the day with either processions or prayers in support of the Palestinian course.



This year they are also protesting an ongoing Israeli onslaught against the blockaded Gaza Strip which has killed 865 Palestinians – mostly civilians, and wounded 5730 others since July 7.



By Rafiu Ajakaye



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