Daughter of Sheikh Zakzaky Talks about Her Father’s Situation

U-News agency met the daughter of the head of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, Suhaila Zakzaky, where she spoke about the suffering of her parents suffering and the steps taken by the Islamic Movement (IMN) to release them as Sheikh Zakzaky’s health deteriorated and his right eye was infected with an advanced stage of Glaucoma.

Zakzaky said that her parents have been shot several times, and soldiers used to randomly shoot her family as she was with them, adding that soldiers have performed operations on her mother to remove bullets from her body with no anesthetics or pain killers as she was fully conscious.

She affirmed that her mother still lives with bullets in her body, specifically around her stomach and in her thigh.

As for her father, bullets have been removed from his body, but he was deeply affected. She mentioned that once, her father could not use one of his hands but he can barely use it now.

Zakzaky added that her father was injured in his eyes so that he cannot see in one of his eyes and he can barely see in the other only if he used the glasses, noting that he suffers from the consequences such as headache and the pressure on the only eye that still functions.

She said that the authorities’ doctor treating her father has noticed some symptoms of Glaucoma since February 2016 and prescribed certain preventative medications to slow down the deterioration of his situation.

However, on April 7, an independent doctor saw him and diagnosed his situation saying that Glaucoma has been developing and his situation is deteriorating, and stressed that the medication he was taking was useless, according to the daughter of Sheikh Zakzaky.

Zakzaky said that her parents are currently in one of the facilities of the Defense Security Service that is basically like a house, and they have been there for a year and a half and after they have been in another place for a year.

“We have contact with them for about one hour every week, something like that. But now we have contact with them every time we can contact them, but they are still limited, their most basic need is not only to see doctors but to have the doctors being able to see them and have the facilities to that them and it is something we still don’t have.”

She further added that they have submitted a court case about that and the court issued that the detention should be suspended and her parents should be released, but this has not happened up till now.

She said the Islamic Movement have done many efforts, of which the most important are the continues protests in Abuja, and pointed that is positive for protests at a certain extents affect the government officials and embassies so that they see and hear what people are saying and doing which in turn may facilitate the progress of the issue. However, the government is still able not to care and ignore the daily protests in Abuja.

The daughter of Sheikh Zakzaky noted that in addition to protests, other efforts have been made such as campaigns in other places, but stressed that this is not enough and it is never enough, adding that there are some people who remain silent about the issue especially people abroad and others do not even know about it.

In regard to any progress by authorities to free her father as his health condition deteriorates, Zakzaky said that she knows nothing and although her father had a choice to choose a doctor, he still suffers from many restrictions when it comes to treatment, adding that he also suffers due to the lack of proper facilities in Nigeria.

About her relation with her father, Suhaila Zakzaky said that she never had to think about if he represents a leader or a father for she feels that it is a sort of one,

“When I was much younger he was just my father and then when I started to grow and understand more about life and the path he is on and chose to go in that direction, he naturally became my leader. When you’re looking at the dynamic from a religious perspective and all that obviously he’ll be my leader first then my father second.”

Talking about Palestinian young woman Ahed al-Tamimi, Zakzaky said that all her stories are very inspiring, and expressed that she is really impressed by Ahed especially that she is really young.

She added that the fact that all Palestinians are standing for their freedom and for what they believe is inspiring for everybody, calling on them to stay strong on what they are already doing and not to stop not matter what happens.

It is noteworthy mentioning that the demonstrations continue in a number of Nigerian cities for the immediate release of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife as well as hundreds of detainees of the Islamic Movement, and revealing the fate of more than 500 missing.

Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaki has been subjected to several assassination attempts, some in 1999, 2007, and 2015. He was tortured, his wife (who was arrested with him) was killed, and 6 of his sons were killed during the massacres of the Black Saturday and Jerusalem International Day. His sister and nephew were also killed, the tombs of his mother and children were swiped away, and his house was demolished on the ground.

After 100 days of daily demonstrations of people of Nigeria, where thousands of them were wounded in several cities, authorities still refuse to release Sheikh Zakzaky.

Source: U-News Agency