Ibraheem Yaqoub El-Zakzaky (alternately Ibraheem Zakzaky, Ibrahim Al-Zakzaky; born 5 May 1953) is a
Nigerian
Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
religious leader. He is an imprisoned outspoken and prominent
Shi'a
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...
Muslim leader in Nigeria.
He is the head of Nigeria's
Islamic Movement, which he founded in the late 1970s, when a student at
Ahmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University Zaria is a federal government research university in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. ABU was founded on 4 October 1962, as the pioneer university in Northern Nigeria. It was founded and named after the Sardauna of Sokoto, Al ...
, and began propagating
Shia Islam
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...
around 1979, at the time of the Iranian revolution—which saw Iran's monarchy overthrown and replaced with an Islamic republic under
Ayatollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
. Zakzaky believed that the establishment of a republic along similar religious lines in Nigeria would be feasible. He has been detained several times due to accusations of civil disobedience or recalcitrance under military regimes in Nigeria during the 1980s and 1990s, and is still viewed with suspicion or as a threat by Nigerian authorities.
In December 2015, the Nigerian Army raided his residence in
Zaria, seriously injured him, and killed hundreds of his followers. Since then, he has remained under state detention in the nation's capital pending his release, which was ordered in late 2016.
In 2019, a court in Kaduna state granted him and his wife bail to seek treatment abroad but they returned from India after 3 days on the premises of unfair treatment and tough restrictions by security operatives deployed to the medical facility.
Recently the Kaduna state higher court ordered his immediate release after 2,055 days of illegal detention almost six years. The DSS denied to give him his traveling documents for medical treatment till now.
Early life and education
Ibraheem Zakzaky was born on 5 May 1953 (15 Sha’ban 1372
AH), in
Zaria
Zaria is a metropolitan city in Nigeria which at the present time lies within four (4) local government areas in Kaduna state; it happens to be the capital city to the Zazzau Emirate Council, and one of the original seven Hausa city-states ...
,
Kaduna State
Kaduna State ( ha, Jihar Kaduna جىِهَر كَدُنا; ff, Leydi Kaduna, script=Latn, ; kcg, Sitet Kaduna) is a state in northern Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in ...
. He attended the Provincial Arabic School, Zaria (1969-1970), the School for Arabic Studies, Kano from 1971-1976, where he obtained the ‘Grade II’ Certificate, and the
Ahmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University Zaria is a federal government research university in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. ABU was founded on 4 October 1962, as the pioneer university in Northern Nigeria. It was founded and named after the Sardauna of Sokoto, Al ...
(ABU), Zaria (1976-1979), where he earned a first-class bachelor's degree in Economics. The degree was denied to him by the university authorities due to his Islamic activities.
During his university days, he was active in student Islamic unionism, where he became the secretary-general of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) at the Main Campus of the university (1977/78), and later became Vice President (International Affairs) of the National Body of the MSSN in 1979.
![Sheikh Zakzaky in 1990s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Sheikh_Zakzaky_in_1990s.jpg)
The same year, he is said to have become so impressed with the
1979 Iranian Revolution that he wanted one at home. Later, Zakzaky went to Iran, ultimately becoming a Shia. At home, he became the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and turned it into a vehicle for proselytizing and gaining followers in the 1990s. As a result of his activities a significant number have converted to
Shia Islam
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...
in a country once with hardly any Shia population.
Islamic Movement in Nigeria
Ibraheem Zakzaky is the primary figure and spiritual leader of the
Islamic Movement in Nigeria (''formerly:'' Muslim Brothers), Africa's most prominent Shi'a Muslim movement. Of Nigeria's 180 million population, around 50 percent are Muslim, a small minority of which belong to
Shi'a Islam
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...
. According to Nnamdi Obasi, Senior Analyst on Nigeria at the
International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, performing research and analysis on global ...
(ICG), the IMN's goals are twofold: “to ensure more stringent application of Islamic legal and administrative systems...then ultimately to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.”
Dr Iqbal Siddiqui described El-Zakzaky as "the de facto leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria".
Political alignment and activities
The Resource Forum of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) held a symposium on "The Creation of the Illegal State of Israel" at
Arewa House
Arewa House (Hausa language, Hausa: ''Gidan Arewa'') is centre for research and historical documentations under Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, Zaria, located in Kaduna, Kaduna State, in Northwest Nigeria. It is also serves as a center f ...
Kaduna on 21 May 2008. Zakzaky said,
Nigerian Army attacks against the movement
Zaria Quds day massacre
On Friday 25 July 2014
, the
Nigerian Army
The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is governed by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC). The Chief of Army Staff is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Army.
History Formation
The Nigerian ...
reportedly fatally shot 35 followers of Ibrahim Zakzaky, including three of his sons,
after a pro-Palestinian procession in
Zaria
Zaria is a metropolitan city in Nigeria which at the present time lies within four (4) local government areas in Kaduna state; it happens to be the capital city to the Zazzau Emirate Council, and one of the original seven Hausa city-states ...
. The UK
Islamic Human Rights Commission
The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) is a non-profit organisation based in London. Its stated mission is to "work with different organisations from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds, to campaign for justice for all peoples regardless of ...
published the report ''Zaria Massacres and the Role of the Military'' in October 2014.
2015 Zaria massacre
Sheikh al-Zakzaky was injured and arrested along with his wife, in the
2015 Zaria massacre, in which three of his remaining sons, as well as hundreds of his followers, were killed by the Nigerian Army.
Detention and ordered release
According to the judgment of the high court of Nigeria on 2 December 2016, Ibrahim Yaqoub El Zakzaky was ordered to be released from
Department of State Services
The State Security Service (SSS), self-styled as the Department of State Services (DSS), is a security agency of Nigeria and one of three successor organisations to the National Security Organization (NSO). The agency is under the Presidency of ...
(similar to the US
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
detention) into police custody within 45 days. El Zakzaky and his wife were to be paid the sum of 50 million
Naira
The naira (sign: ₦; code: NGN) is the currency of Nigeria. One naira is divided into 100 ''kobo''.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the sole issuer of legal tender money throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It controls the volume ...
($164,052) in compensation. The judge announced that the justification of "holding him for his own protection" is not sufficient.
On 16 January 2017,
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
demanded that the "Nigerian authorities must immediately comply with a High Court order and release Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife from detention."
On 13 January 2018, Zakzaky, detained at an unknown location without charges since December 2015, made a short public appearance, his first in two years, being allowed to see his
doctor
Doctor or The Doctor may refer to:
Personal titles
* Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree
* A medical practitioner, including:
** Physician
** Surgeon
** Dentist
** Veterinary physician
** Optometrist
*Other roles
** ...
. Since 2014, Zakzaky was held captive by Nigerian federal government and
Kaduna State
Kaduna State ( ha, Jihar Kaduna جىِهَر كَدُنا; ff, Leydi Kaduna, script=Latn, ; kcg, Sitet Kaduna) is a state in northern Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in ...
government for criminal charges, since then, many of his followers make a protest in all the state for his release. the act of detaining zakzaky long time without being judged was said to be against the law of the federation.
2019 clashes
On 22 January 2019, Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat head to the Kaduna High Court for hearing on the bail application. They were guarded by heavily armed operatives as they made their way into the court.
In July 2019, in order to demand the release of Ibraheem el-Zakzaky, hundreds of people gathered outside government buildings and policemen tried to disperse them by using gunshots and tear gas. During the clash, two people died and 40 protesters were arrested by police. The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a group of Nigeria's minority Shia Muslims, said protests will continue until they secure the release of el-Zakzaky, because he suffered another stroke on Monday and it is needed urgently for him to be flown abroad for medical treatment. Abdullahi Murtala, a security analyst said, "Shia Muslims are emboldened by the perceived injustice of an 'immoral state' and will continue their protest and show of defiance against the Buhari government".
Another clash with Nigerian police on 22 July claimed many lives both of the Shi'ites, police officers and a young reporter, Precious Owolabi under
NYSC. A Deputy Commissioner of Police also lost his life during the clash.
The
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015.
Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 Au ...
-led government
proscribed
Proscription ( la, proscriptio) is, in current usage, a 'decree of condemnation to death or banishment' (''Oxford English Dictionary'') and can be used in a political context to refer to state-approved murder or banishment. The term originated ...
the sect as illegal movement in Nigeria after meeting with service chiefs over the clash
Personal life
He is married to Zeenah Ibraheem, with whom he had nine children.
Currently, only three of his children (one son and two daughters) are living. Three of his sons were killed in the
Zaria Quds Day massacres
Zaria Quds massacres (or Zaria Quds massacres) refers to an incident on July 25, 2014, when the Nigerian Army opened fire on members of the Islamic Movement who were taking part in Quds day rallies, and killed 35 people, including three sons of ...
in 2014.
Three more sons were killed in the
2015 Zaria massacre.
It said that he died on 12th December 2022 at the age of 69, but it is not confirmed yet. It was a rumor.
[https://ur.hawzahnews.com/news/386544/%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%AE-%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%81%DB%8C%D9%85-%D8%B2%DA%A9%D8%B2%D8%A7%DA%A9%DB%8C-%DA%A9%DB%92-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84-%DA%A9%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%81-%D8%A7%DB%8C%DA%A9-%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%88%D8%A7%DB%81-%DB%81%DB%92]
See also
*
Tijaniyyah
The Tijāniyyah ( ar, الطريقة التجانية, Al-Ṭarīqah al-Tijāniyyah, The Tijānī Path) is a Sufi tariqa (order, path), originating in the Maghreb but now more widespread in West Africa, particularly in Senegal, The Gambia, ...
*
Shia Islam in Nigeria
Although the majority of the Nigerian Muslim population is Sunni, there is a small Shia minority, particularly in the northern states of Kano and Sokoto.
However, there are no actual statistics that reflect a Shia population in Nigeria, and a f ...
References
External links
Official websiteof the Islamic Movement (Nigeria)
Islamic Movement In NigeriaBiographyat Tripod
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zakzaky, Ibraheem
1953 births
Nigerian Shia clerics
Nigerian Shia Muslims
Converts to Shia Islam from Sunni Islam
Critics of Sunni Islam
Living people
People from Zaria
Ahmadu Bello University alumni
People from Kaduna State
Nigerian Muslim activists