Islam Times - Saudi Arabia has Given Millions of Dollars to Abuja Officials to Assassinate Sheikh Zakzaki and Destroy the Islamic Movement

Sheikh Zakzaki's lawyer, Ishaq Adam Ishaq, in an exclusive interview with the Islam Times:

Saudi Arabia has Given Millions of Dollars to Abuja Officials to Assassinate Sheikh Zakzaki and Destroy the Islamic Movement

President Buhari was ordered by US, Israel and Saudi Arabia to assassinate Sheikh Zakzaki

Islam Times - "Ishaq Adam Ishaq," Sheikh Zakzaki's lawyer, stressed that his client's physical condition was not good at all, as he stressed: "The United States, the Zionist regime and the Al Saud regime are the ones who ordered the Nigerian government to assassinate Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaki, and in this regard, Saudi Arabia has given millions of dollars to government officials to assassinate the Nigerian Shiite leader and Eliminate the Islamic Movement."

According to the Islam Times, a life full of asceticism, piety, alienation from "Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaki" and at the same time his respect for other religions, all became more and more popular among the Nigerian people and a large number of people in the country, more than 20 million people, convert to the Shiite religion, while the Sunni brothers and even the Nigerian Christians are among the lovers of the Nigerian Shiite leader.

On December 13, 2015, Nigerian Shiites were mourning Imam Hussein PBUH in Zaria Husseiniya, Nigerian Police Officers have attacked the Husseiniyah and the personal home of Sheikh Zakzaki with a previous plot to destroy Shiite Islam, killing more than 1,000 Shiites and a number of members of Sheikh Zakzaki's family, the leader of the Nigerian Islamic Movement was severely wounded and taken prisoner. He has been imprisoned with his wife in a very cruel manner for almost 6 years due to false accusations.

However, a year after the attack on Zaria Husseiniyah in 2016, the highest judicial authority and the Supreme Court of this country not only acquitted him, but also said that "Sheikh Zakzaki" and his wife should be compensated, and the court announced that the imprisonment of the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria is in contradiction with the Nigerian constitution and they even ordered that a place for his life be coordinated because his house was razed to the ground.

But not only did the Nigerian authorities not comply with the ruling issued by the highest judicial authority in Nigeria, but they also repeatedly postponed the trial of Nigerian Shiite leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaki; Instead, on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 November 2020, the trial of the Nigerian Shiite leader took place without his presence in a provincial court.

Sources present at the trial of the Nigerian Shiite leader stated that during the two days of the trial, the Nigerian government tried to prolong the trial by bringing false witnesses to the court: Finally, due to the fact that another witness remained to testify in court, the trial was postponed to January 25 and 26, 2021, to hear the statements of false witnesses.

In this regard, the reporter of the news-analytical website "Islam Times" of Lebanon had an exclusive interview with "Ishaq Adam Ishaq", one of the lawyers of "Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaki" and asked his opinion about his case;

1- What is your assessment of the recent trial on the 18 and 19 of the previous month?

I believe that this trial ended in our favor and was a victory for us. The government has neither evidence nor honesty; For this reason, he does not have a complaint or petition to file, they themselves know well (that they have no convincing reason and evidence for the conviction of "Sheikh"). This recent trial brought us joy and happiness because the witnesses who were summoned by the lawyers to the court could not prove the false accusations that the sheikh was accused of committing.

2- What is the team composition of "Sheikh Zakzaki"'s lawyers? Are there any Sunni brothers in this team?

All members of the team are Nigerian lawyers, some of whom are Shiites, some Sunnis and even Christians in Sheikh Zakzaki's team of lawyers. For example, I am a Shiite and the head of this team is a Christian lawyer, and there are lawyers who support Sheikh Zakzaki through suggestions because they are sure that he is oppressed.

3. How many times did you, as a member of Sheikh Zakzaki's defense team, manage to meet him in prison? When was your last visit?

Since Sheikh Zakzaki's trial in 2018, where I represented him, I have met with him 11 times, sometimes in court and sometimes in prison, on various issues, including matters related to his court or the court of friends who arrested in Abuja for protests, my last meeting with him was on Thursday, February 19, 2020.

4- Considering his poor physical condition, are the conditions of his place of detention good? What is his current physical and mental condition?

The place where Sheikh Zakzaki is imprisoned is not a prison (he is under house arrest, which may be worse than in prison, because there should be rules in prison, but there are no such rules in house arrest, and no one knows about their imprisonment). Everyone knows that imprisonment (and prison) is not a good place in Nigeria. He is in a good mental condition, but his physical condition is not good at all. There are pieces of bullets in Sheikh Zakzaki's body because President Buhari ordered the army to kill Sheikh Zakzaki in 2015. All forces worked to eliminate the Shiite leader of Nigeria and severely targeted him) but God showed his power and the "sheikh" is still alive despite his very poor physical condition.

5. What message did he have in this meetings with Sheikh Zakzaki for the free people of the world and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria and all the resistance groups in the world?

"Sheikh Zakzaki" praises the people of resistance and freedom, greets the brothers of the Islamic Movement and all its supporters and lovers, and we greet his supporters in the service of the Sheikh.

6. Why do the Abuja authorities not want to release Nigerian Shiite leader Sheikh Zakzaki and his wife? What is the obstacle to their freedom? It is said that religion is the cause of oppression against Zakzaki, and in this regard, do you accuse Saudi Arabia and the Zionist regime of putting pressure on the Nigerian government on the issue of "Sheikh Zakzaki" or not?

Nigerian authorities do not want to release Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaki because they consider his presence a danger. Therefore, they want the "sheikh" to disappear, but God Almighty did not want it. Sheikh Zakzaki had told us that, God willing, he would see the body of Nigerian President Bohari. I have to point out that the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia are the parties that ordered the assassination of Sheikh Zakzaki to the President of Nigeria, in this case Saudi Arabia gave millions of dollars to the Nigerian government to kill Sheikh and Eliminate the Islamic Movement.

7. Do you think that summoning witnesses to court is not a conspiracy to waste time with the aim of keeping "Sheikh Zakzaki" and his wife in prison?

Summoning witnesses is the sign of the beginning of this trial, and we would like this trial to be held, but they do not like it, we are very inclined for them to summon their witnesses (sooner) to the end of the trial, The court told government lawyers that they had to summon all their witnesses on the two days set for the next hearing (January 25 and 26, 2021), when all their intuitions come, no action can be taken on their behalf and it remains for us to do whatever is necessary to finally issue a court order.

8. Have you ever encouraged international legal organizations for the release of "Sheikh Zakzaki" or have you coordinated with these institutions to pursue the issue of Sheikh in the world?

From the very first days that the Nigerian military committed the Zaria massacre in 2015, some human rights organizations have expressed dissatisfaction with the action taken by the Bohari government, but only the organizations based here in Nigeria, and we know them, not all of these organizations, but at the same time I personally do not know (much) the international human rights organizations. But sometimes I hear some of these organizations talk about the release of Sheikh Zakzaki.

9- Films released from the arrival of "Sheikh" and his wife in the hospital, which are said to belong to a few days before the recent trial, what is your opinion about these films? I have previously heard from a human rights activist that his condition is such that Nigerian hospitals do not have the capacity to treat him and he must be sent abroad, With this in mind, do you not think that sending them to the hospital was a dramatic act to silence the voice of the protesters against the cruel imprisonment of "Sheikh Zakzaki"?

We did not participate in this matter at all, that is, the transfer of "Sheikh Zakzaki" and his wife to the hospital, and we do not know at all who took these films. But we think it is the Nigerian government's job to show the world and pretend that "Sheikh Zakzaki" is safe. The important thing is that they do not allow anyone to visit "Sheikh" by phone or camera, let alone take photos or videos.

The fact that Nigerian hospitals do not have the necessary medical facilities to treat "Sheikh Zakzaki" and his wife is quite true, that is why they took "Sheikh" to India for treatment, on the other hand in Nigeria Sheikh Zakzaki's doctors has been changed and appointed doctors for whom the "Sheikh" did not know at all. The government has even conspired to assassinate the Nigerian Shiite leader to kill him.

It is worth mentioning; Sheikh Zakzaki, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), was flown from his hometown of Abuja to India on Monday (August 12th) to seek medical treatment. But the treatment situation in the country was very bad and he was treated like a criminal, and he had no choice but to choose how to be treated, and the Indian government gave Sheikh Zakzaki a two-hour deadline to either accept the treatment under the current circumstances or to return to Nigeria. Sheikh also preferred to return to his home country and from there, if possible, to another country where medical conditions are available, which the Nigerian government has not treated since then, despite his and his wife's poor physical condition.

10. Despite the physical condition of "Sheikh Zakzaki", who according to medical examinations, pieces of a bullet were seen in his body, including in the area of his head, and even one of his eyes was blinded due to a bullet, is it not possible to treat him? He and his wife pressured the Nigerian government for their release?

We want the same issue that you raised and we are trying to make it happen, they can do it, of course, if they want. On the other hand, some Nigerians are indifferent to the issue of "Sheikh Zakzaki" and the like and do not feel sorry. In fact, in Nigeria we encounter some who do not appreciate humanity, even if a problem arises for a Sunni. They do not take any action, let alone oppress a Shiite. The existence of such a spirit among the Nigerian people has led Nigerian officials to do whatever they want, and various Nigerian figures (Sunnis and even Christians or government officials) have called for the release of Sheikh Zakzaki, but the government makes excuses or deceives them with false promises and says that it will release the sheikh, or in some cases claims that this is in the hands of Kaduna state and not the government !!

11- In the end, Is there anything you want to add?

The emphasized and desirable subject is that government attorneys should complete the summoning of witnesses, so that we can take the necessary action, and then the court will announce the verdict, but if government attorneys delay taking time without inviting witnesses (such as last years ), we will ask the court to prevent them (government lawyers) from summoning witnesses until the time is over, in which case the court will suffice to hear the testimony of the six witnesses it summoned.

Interviewed by Ma'sumeh Furuzon