Unsolved case · 2014
The short answer
On 25 July 2014, Nigerian Army soldiers opened fire on Islamic Movement members participating in Quds Day rallies in Zaria, Kaduna State, killing 35 people, including three sons of movement leader Ibrahim Zakzaky.
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Suggest coverage for Zaria Quds Day massacresOn 25 July 2014, an incident occurred in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, in which the Nigerian Army opened fire on members of the Islamic Movement who were participating in Quds Day rallies. The shooting resulted in the deaths of 35 people, including three sons of Ibrahim Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement. The event took place approximately three days after twin bomb attacks had occurred in Kaduna State.
According to eyewitness accounts, the demonstrators approached a military checkpoint where soldiers ordered them to take an alternate route. The demonstrators refused, leading to a standoff. Soldiers reportedly fired warning shots to disperse the protesters, but the protesters surged forward and threw rocks at the soldiers, after which the soldiers opened fire on the crowd.
In the aftermath, Ibrahim Zakzaky called for calm among his followers, stating that he would decide on a course of action after the burial of those killed. He said he had communicated with authorities who claimed no knowledge of the operation, and stated his belief that the operation had been ordered from Abuja. Ibrahim Musa, editor of the Islamic Movement's newspaper Al-Mizan, issued a statement noting that Quds Day processions had been held peacefully in more than ten Nigerian cities that day and questioning why the Zaria procession had been targeted.
The Nigerian Army's Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Olajide Laleye, told the News Agency of Nigeria that an investigation would determine what had occurred, but stated that it was already clear that Nigerian Army troops had not initiated the firing and had acted in self-defense after being fired upon.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria and the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), along with other Islamic non-governmental organizations, asserted that the Nigerian government's close ties with Israel were a motivating factor behind the attack. IHRC chair Massoud Shadjareh characterized the incident as part of a pattern of targeting pro-Palestinian activism in Nigeria and linked it to Nigerian security cooperation with Israel. S. M. Mohamed Idris, Chairman of Citizens International in Malaysia, made a similar claim, suggesting the crackdown was connected to security assistance provided by Israel.
This incident is noted as related to a subsequent 2015 Zaria massacre involving the same movement.
Twin bomb attacks occur in Kaduna State, days before the Zaria incident.
Nigerian Army soldiers open fire on Islamic Movement members participating in Quds Day rallies in Zaria, killing 35 people, including three sons of Ibrahim Zakzaky.
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Leader of the Islamic Movement; three of his sons were killed in the incident (he himself was not reported killed).[3]
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