The Arewa Youth Leaders’ Forum has appealed to military authorities to pardon detained members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) also known as Shiite Sect as it has apologised to the Chief of the Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, over the incident of December 2015 when the sect members obstructed his convoy in Kaduna state.

Shiite members protest killing of members by soldiers in parts of Kaduna on Tuesday, December 15, 2015

In a statement, Isah Ocheja and Jonah Ali, President and General Secretary, said “We resolved at our roundtable in Abuja on Saturday, February 5, 2016 to apologize to the Chief of the Army Staff and the Nigerian Government and beg for pardon for detained members of the (Shiite) sect to be released with a promise not to engage in further acts of terrorism.”

The statement disclosed that the group plans to reach out to the National Assembly while consultations would be embarked upon with traditional rulers on why no individual or group of persons should allow their children to be indoctrinated and radicalised to commit any act of terrorism again.

“We passed a vote of confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari for the recent successes on the war against terrorism. Nigerians are happy that despite the situation of helplessness that he met on ground he has been able to raise the bar. Nevertheless, we appeal to Mr President that any religious sect whose activities are not in tandem with the laws of the land should be proscribed and declared persona non grata” The Forum’s leadership said.

Reacting to videos of Shiite leaders calling for retaliation against officials, the Forum noted that some disgruntled elements are still threatening violence against innocent members of the state, which it described as saddening, unacceptable and condemnable in view of the lasting peace initiatives set in motion by the government of Kaduna State and the entire northern region to nip the unfortunate incident to the bud.