ARMY/SHIITE CLASH: EL-RUFAI RECEIVES PANEL REPORT

Governor Nasirel-Rufai of Kaduna State assured yesterday that the final report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into December’s Zaria Clashes will be made available to the public even while the process for issuing a white paper is ongoing.
The governor said while receiving the commission’s report has been classified top secret, the state government will evaluate the security implications before making it public.
The final report was initially expected to be turned six weeks after the commission’s first public sitting, but following several requests, the state government granted an extension to enable all relevant parties to appear before the inquiry.
The governor assured that the final report would be diligently studied to ensure that lessons were properly digested and the appropriate White Paper conveying government decisions on the inquiry’s recommendations issued promptly and the necessary follow-up actions taken.
“We hope that the inquiry process, and the final report that you have presented today will help ensure that the legacy of violent disorder, and the catastrophic toll on lives and property, are firmly consigned to the past” he stated.
Chairman of the panel, Justice Mohammed Lawal-Garba, said the commission received 3,500 memoranda within and outside the state during its sittings. He said one of the parties, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria failed to appear before the panel for reasons best known to them even as a counsel to the sect had participated at the start of its sitting.
Justice Garba noted that failure of the IMN to appear resulted in the prolonged adjournments of the commission leading to  extension of time to complete its assignment.