The United States has urged Nigeria to abide by court rulings and release Islāmic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky.
The call comes a year after clashes between IMN and Army resulted in the deaths of a reported 348 civilians and one soldier.
“We fully agree with the White Paper’s recommendation that members of the military who were involved in the unlawful killing of civilians must be held accountable and punished appropriately,” John Kirby, Assistant Secretary and Department Spokesperson, said.
Kirby said as the first anniversary of the Zaria Massacre event approached, they called on the federal government to be diligent, and transparent.
He encouraged the federal government to act on the recent Abuja high court’s decision that Zakzaky and his wife should be released from prison within 45 days, as they had been held without charge since last December.
Kirby raised concern the characterisation of IMN as an insurgent group.
