President Buhari has saluted the doggedness of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) otherwise referred to as Shiites, led by the recently injured El Zakzaky. He stated that "Shiites have by their martyrdom given the Nigerian army a great testing ground for all the new soldiers who did not know what it felt like to kill an unarmed human being."
He said this in a visit to the ruins of the Hussainiyya shrine which was reduced to rubble in the December 2015 assault by General Buratai's army. Impressed by the thoroughness of the army, he was moved by how nothing had changed since his days in the army. "You still know how to destroy the way we did those days," Buhari said.
Reacting from his hospital bed, Sheikh Zakzaky said he had no comment apart from putting his complete trust in the leadership of President Buhari, especially given his capacity to make so many Shiites disappear in so little time.
Buhari promised that as soon as the Shiite leader was well enough, he would be invited to an award ceremony for his contribution to democracy. "Every democracy needs an army with fearless soldiers. And sometimes soldiers have nowhere to train and no real humans to kill. How then can they be ready when a real challenge emerges. The Shiites provided this great human opportunity by sacrificing several hundred of their members to help. Only Allah can reward them for this."
President Buhari finally urged the Shiite leader to be as religious in taking his medications as he was in providing humans, including six of his own children for army sniper and murder training.
