In their separate testimonies before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna state government to investigate the December 12, 2015 clash between the Islamic group and the Nigerian Army, the security agencies said IMN was operating a state within a state with outright disregard to constituted authorities.
Testifying on behalf of the Nigerian Police, Keneth Dika, a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a lawyer, said that the IMN does not recognize the constitutionality of the police.
Responding to questions under cross examination, Dika maintained that the Shiite has become a formidable organization with arms, and have refused to submit themselves to the authorities.
“Like the Boko Haram, if you trace the history of the Shiite, you will find that they have become difficult” he said.
He admitted that the police was aware of the activities of the Islamic group over the years, including complains by some residents of Sabon Gari, Zaria, but that there was nothing much the police could do to check their excesses.
In its memo, the police alleged that over the years, members of the Islamic group don’t honour police invitations and were always in the habit of resisting arrest.
The “usual altercation between the Shiite and police are: Non recognition of police as a constituted authority, dishonouring of police invitations for whatever reason whenever invited and resistance of arrest whenever any of them is reported to have committed an offence” the police alleged. [myad]
