The Kaduna State Governor has inaugurated the Judicial Commission of Inquiry (JCI) into the clash between Shiite members and the Nigerian Army.
At the Inauguration ceremony on Friday, Governor Nasir El-Rufai asked the members to be fair and just to every party involved as required by the constitution and the Rules of Natural Justice.
According to Mr El-Rufai, the JCI’s assignment is to determine the immediate causes of the clash, examine the historical circumstances and contributory factors and to ascertain the number of persons killed, wounded or missing during the clashes.
The Governor added that it would also identify actions and omissions of relevant persons, traditional and religious institutions, Federal and State actors and emergency response agencies before, during and after the clashes among others.
He also dismissed the insinuations in some quarters that only the Federal Government has the power to establish the JCI. He said that under the 1999 Constitution, only state governments can institute Judicial Commissions of Inquiry in their states.
Governor El-Rufai said that the report and recommendation of the commission would enable the Kaduna State government and the general public to understand the historical background of what led to the incident and how it can be averted in the future.
In their response, the Chairman of the JCI, Justice Mohammed Garba, assured the Governor that the panel would do a thorough job without fear or favour.
Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria popularly known as Shiites Movement, Ibrahim Musa, insists that they would not appear before the commission, because they do not have confidence in the composition of the panel.
The 13-member panel, which has six weeks to submit its report, has the former United Nations permanent representative, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Salisu Shehu, Professor Umar Labdo, Professor Auwalu Yadudu, Mr Afakriya Gadzama, Major General Alexander Mshelbwala (Rtd) among others as members.