The Jam’iyyatu Ansaariddeen Attijjaniyya (JAMAA) of Nigeria says its members have been allegedly killed by soldiers in Burkina Faso.
Addressing a press briefing at the weekend in Abuja, Sayyidi Yahaya, national secretary of the group, said 16 of its members were killed on their way to Senegal.
He said members of the group regularly visit Senegal, the home country of their leader, Ibrahim Niasse Al-Kaulahee, for conferences and Maulid celebrations.
“During such movements, convoys of vehicles from Nigeria used to travel through international borders to Kaolack, Senegal, traversing countries such as Niger, Burkina-Faso, and Mali,” Yahaya said.
He said a delegation of Nigerians in buses was stopped by the Burkinabe army on patrol and asked to disembark from their vehicles.
“They were randomly selected without any questioning and cold-bloodedly shot to death in a most horrendous display of bestiality. The current number of casualties is 16 dead while some vehicles and their occupants are yet to be accounted for.”
The group asked the federal government and United Nations to investigate the matter and ensure justice is done.
Deriving from the above, we hearken to urgently draw the attention of the Nigerian government, the United Nations, and genuine human rights organisations to, as a matter of responsibility, wade into this matter and ensure that the rights of the victims of this massacre are upheld and the blood-thirsty culprits are immediately brought to book,” Yahaya said.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the killing of the pilgrims.
In a statement issued by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesperson, Buhari said the Nigerian embassy in Burkina Faso is engaging with the Burkinabe authorities to ensure the perpetrators are made to face justice.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has received the tragic news of the murder of a number of Nigerian Muslim pilgrims on their way to Kaolak, Senegal when the buses conveying them came under gun attack in Burkina Faso,” the statement reads.
“The President expressed his condolences and prayed for the safety of other Nigerians stranded there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Nigerian Embassy in Burkina Faso, is engaging with the Burkinabe authorities and awaits the outcome of their investigation of the unfortunate incident, and if necessary, to ensure that all culprits are appropriately sanctioned.
“The Nigerian Government will make every effort to secure the mortal remains of the deceased and the survivors of the attack.”