El-Rufai releases Zaria massacre

The Kaduna State Government on Sunday released the full report of the outcome of a judicial panel of inquiry it set up to unravel the circumstances surrounding the massacre of 347 Shi’ites in Zaria, almost two weeks after this newspaper published details of the chilling massacre.
The Governor of the state, Nasir el-Rufai, said he made the document public even though a white paper enquiry was still underway.
“A nine-member White Paper Drafting Committee has commenced work on studying the report and its recommendations. While the White Paper process is ongoing, the Kaduna State Government has decided to release the report on its website,” the state said in an accompany statement.
Mr. El-Rufai had in January set up the panel, chaired by Mohammed Garba, an appellate court judge, to investigate the killings, which sparked worldwide outrage.
The panel submitted its findings on July 15.
Mr. El-Rufai’s decision to make the report public marked a sharp contrast with his statement on the day he received it.
“However, noting that the report has been classified Top Secret; we shall evaluate the security implication before making the report public,” Mr. El-Rufai said.
The panel found army officers culpable and recommended them for trial, confirming this newspaper’s story that the General Officer Commanding of the Nigerian Army Division One in Kaduna, Adeniyi Oyebade, was indicted.

The panel also said intelligence failure was to blame for the attack, which occurred after members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria clashed with the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, on December 12, 2015.