During a news conference on Sunday in Abuja, the Jam’iyyatu Ansariddeen Attijaniyya of Nigeria revealed that 16 of its members were shot dead by the Burkinabe soldiers on patrol.
According to him, they were on their way to the home country of their leader, Sheikhul-islam Ibrahim Niasse in Senegal, when they met their untimely death.
The national secretary of the Islamic group, Sayyidi Yahaya, said the members were “randomly selected and cold-bloodedly shot to death in a most horrendous display of bestiality” after being stopped the Burkinabe soldiers.
“The current number of casualties is 16 dead while some vehicles and their occupants are yet to be accounted for,” he said.
Yahaya further called on the federal government and United Nations (UN) to investigate the matter and ensure justice is done.
Reacting in a statement on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, President Buhari condemned the killing of the pilgrims.
Buhari said the Nigerian embassy in Burkina Faso is engaging with the Burkinabe authorities to ensure the perpetrators are made to face justice.
The statement reads, “President Muhammadu Buhari has received the tragic news of the murder of a number of Nigerian Muslim pilgrims on their way to Kaolak, Senegal when the buses conveying them came under gun attack in Burkina Faso.
“The President expressed his condolences and prayed for the safety of other Nigerians stranded there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Nigerian Embassy in Burkina Faso, is engaging with the Burkinabe authorities and awaits the outcome of their investigation of the unfortunate incident, and if necessary, to ensure that all culprits are appropriately sanctioned.
“The Nigerian Government will make every effort to secure the mortal remains of the deceased and the survivors of the attack.”
KanyiDaily recalls that the federal government had recently revealed that about 159 Nigerians renounced their citizenships in 2022.
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