Nasir el-Rufai
6495
Godwin Isenyo, Kaduna
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Saturday named the members of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the December 12, 2015 clash between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and the Nigerian Army in Zaria.
The clash which occurred after members of the Shi’ites group blocked a road, denying the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, passage, led to the death of many members of the group.
A statement by El-Rufai’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, named the members of the commission to include the Presiding Judge of the Port-Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mohammed Garba, as the Chairman.
Director of the Centre for Islamic Legal Studies, Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Dr. Bala Babaji, is the secretary of the commission.
The judicial commission of inquiry, according to El-Rufai, is established under Section 2 of the Kaduna State Commission of Inquiry Law, 1991.
El-Rufai had signed the instrument establishing the commission of inquiry which is expected to submit its final report six weeks after its first public sitting.
The terms of reference of the commission, include, “to determine the immediate causes of the clashes, examine the historical circumstances and contributory factors of the clashes and to ascertain the number of persons killed, wounded or missing during the clashes.
“The commission of inquiry will also identify the actions of persons, institutions, federal and state actors, and determine whether such actions were necessary, appropriate and sufficient in the circumstances in which they occurred.”
Other members of the commission are, Prof. Salihu Shehu, a lecturer at the Bayero University, Kano; Prof. Umar Labdo, a lecturer at Northwest University, Kano; Malam Salihu Abubakar, a former director of the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Prof. Auwalu Yadudu, an accomplished professor of law, and former Special Adviser on Legal Matters during the Abacha government, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, among others.
Gambari, a former minister of Foreign Affairs, was also Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, and headed the UN department of Political Affairs.