Human Rights Group Cautions Buhari ‘Don’t Allow Zakzaky Die in Your Custody’

A human rights group, the Initiative for Conciliation and Rights Protection (ICRP), called on the Nigerian authorities to act immediately and not to allow the incarcerated leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky to die in their hand.

News ID: 445886

Date: 07 July 2019 - 15:47

RNA - ICRP specifically, called on the United Nation (UN), European Union (EU) African Union (AU), the president of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan and the speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to intervene quickly on the deteriorating health condition of the IMN leader and his wife, Zeenah, Governance News reported.

The human rights group, also called on President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to allow Sheikh Zakzaky access health care base on the instructions of their doctors immediately and not to allow the leader of movement die in the custody of DSS.

In a statement jointly signed by Dr. Yahaya Abubakar, Barr Geoffery Netochukwu, Comrade Godwin Ekoja, Barrister Bala Hassan, Comrade Ahmad S. Isa and Prince Adelaja Adeoye, the ICRP said the international organizations and the parliament must ensure that the Buhari’s led administration come out clear and explain to Nigerians the reason behind the unconstitutional act against Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife.

The group added that ICRP medical team were able to have some explanation about the results which part of it states that in the case of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, he had obstructed blood flow to the heart (Myocardial Ischemia and Left ventricular hypertrophy) which poses a serious risk of a heart attack. Severe cervical spondylitis causing nerve root compression.

“Further more, in his right eye the diagnosis was severe visual impairment, progressive open angle glaucoma and progressive macular atrophy and other issues that can inevitably lead to permanent blindness. In the left eye the diagnosis was Anophthalmia, which is to say that the left eye is completely absent," it said.

ICRP also disclosed that, the symptoms of heavy metal poisoning were also observed from the tests, which revealed that there is unusually high concentrations of lead and cadmium in his blood.

“This means that the full extent of the damage may yet be much higher than can be easily ascertained,” it added.

“Our advise to President Muhammadu Buhari is that the current state of health of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenah, is a medical emergency issue and should be dealt with immediately by handing them over to their family members so that they can be treated in a good and quality healthcare facility outside the country as their doctors stated," it noted.

“Their state of health has been deteriorating due to the negligence and untimely interventions, caused by the unnecessarily restricted nature of their access to medical care for for nearly four years,” the group stated.

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