SHAFAQNA– A high-ranking Shia cleric in Senegal says several religious and political Senegalese figures have traveled to Nigeria on mediation efforts to convince the West African country’s authorities to release leader of Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky.
Imam Sherif Mballo who acts as Secretary General of the League of AhlulBayt in Senegal, in an exclusive interview with Shafaqna French says he was the first person who informed international human rights groups about Sheikh Zakzaky’s situation in Jail. According to Sheikh Mballo, the regional branch of the rights group Amnesty International is also investigating and following the case of Sheikh Zakzaky and his followers in Nigerian jails.
Sheikh Mballo condemns Nigerian authorities for their flagrant violations of the human rights of Shia Muslims in Nigeria which is in breach of international conventions and laws. He adds Shia Nigerians and IMN followers are denied of their religious freedoms while they experience insecurity. He goes on to say that the situation is exacerbating specially in Nigeria’s north east as well as the country’s south amid the attacks of Boko Haram Takfiri militants and increasing violence between different ethnic groups.
When asked about his friendship with Sheikh Zakzaky, Imam Sherif Mballo who founded the League of AhlulBayt, a pan-African Shia Movement in Senegal, in August 2016, says Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky is a longtime brother and friend. Imam Sherif says their friendship dates back to 1991 when both men attended international conferences.
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