Sheikh el-Zakzaky

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured international and local human rights groups of appropriate response on the report of judicial inquiry into the soldiers and Shiite members clash.

A statement on Tuesday in Abuja by Malam Garba Shehu, the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said Buhari was already studying details of the report and would make appropriate response soon.

According to the statement, the president’s commitment to human rights remains unchanged because it is a cardinal component of the democratic order.

“It would be recalled that when the clashes occurred in December, President Buhari had told the nation during the Presidential Media Chat that he was awaiting the outcome of the report of inquiry into the incident before making appropriate response.

“The present administration believes in due process and the rule of law; therefore, any response to the report will follow this principle,’’ the statement said.

It stated that the Federal Government would continue to act in the larger interest of the public to prevent such violent incidents.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Kaduna State Government inaugurated the Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the clash between the Shi’ites Islamic Movement of Nigeria, led by Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and the Nigerian Army, in Zaria.

Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’I of Kaduna state vowed to sanction anyone indicted by the commission, which had since submitted its report to the state government on July 14.(NAN)