El-Zakzaky, whose first name is also spelt “Ibrahim”, founded IMN as a
student at ABU to propagate Shi’ite Islam, which gained a significant
mileage in 1979 with the Iranian revolution.
Iran became an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Khomeini, who overthrew the country’s monarchy.
TheCable
obtained the report of the disciplinary committee which recommended the
expulsion of El-Zakzaky and Sani Daura, then president of the Muslim
Student Society (MSS), over the incident. Although he made a first-class
in economics, he did not graduate officially.
Some MSS members
had invaded a party organised by ABU students union to protest the sale
and consumption of alcohol by those in attendance.
‘HOW ALCOHOL PROVOKED THE ATTACK’
In
the report dated November 2, 1979, and signed by S.S.Gbinde, its
secretary, the committee said it was believed El-Zakzaky was one of
those behind the invasion that occurred on October 20, 1979.
Ango
Abdullahi, then-acting vice-chancellor of ABU and chairman of the
committee, had told the members that MSS had written a “warning letter”
to the students union against the planned party.
Daura, then MSS
leader, was quoted as telling the committee that the group sent the
letter to kick against the planned consumption and sale of alcohol “on
the grounds that public places were being used and public money was
being used.”
Asked why the university should “in isolation
disapprove of what is commonly allowed outside”, Daura reportedly
responded that that was “a matter of ignorance on the part of the
general public.”
“On Saturday, the students union disco party was
held as scheduled and about 3am, about nine MSS students came in with
clubs and other weapons with the intent to cause trouble,” the committee
said in one of its minutes.
‘EL-ZAKZAKY’S ROLE IN THE FRACAS’
El-Zakzaky,
who was the secretary-general of the MSS in 1977/78 session, was quoted
as telling the committee “he was a party to the peaceful demonstration
and not the violent one”.
Asked where he was the night the fracas
occurred, El-Zakzaky reportedly said he came back from town at about
5pm, left his room at about 9:15pm for the central mosque “for the usual
Saturday discussion” (and) was back about 11pm where he met Sheriff
Abuna, Abdullahi and Usman.
“He continued that when he was woken
up at night, himself, Sheriff, Abdullahi and another person all rushed
out. An alarm was rasied and Abdullahi was arrested and taken to the
security office. He admitted that he followed him to the security office
and was back to his room at about 3am,” the report read.
The
report added that after his interrogation, Abdullahi, who also served as
the committee chairman, said he believed “the attack had originated
from Ibrahim’s room as most of the people identified with the incident
came from his room.”
“Other members of the committee the same views and believed that Ibrahim was one of the brains behind the trouble,” it added.
Source:- Thecableng
{Naijafinix.com}
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