Shi’ites Protest Gruesome Murder Of Iranian Top Military Commander, Soleimani, Burn American Flag In Abuja
Adedokun Waliyu 
Members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shi’tes on Tuesday in Abuja staged a protest against the gruesome killing of an Iranian top General Qasem Soleimani by the United States of America.
The angry protesters also burn a flag of the United States of America and with the placards condemning Soleimani’s killing.
It would be recalled that the US airstrike had on January 3rd 2020 killed Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport. The drone targeted and killed Soleimani while he was on his way to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi in Baghdad. Soleimani was commander of the Quds Force, one of five branches of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
The protesters marched in a procession in solidarity with the slain Iranian General from Banex Plaza to the roundabout on Ahamadu Bello roundabout in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking to journalists at the rally the Secretary of the Academic Forum of the movement, Abdullahi Muhammad Musa said the protest and burning of the flag was aimed to show the grievances on the brutal killing of a man who stood by the victims of terrorism globally.
According to him “Today’s protest is to show our stand against injustice, oppression and the global terrorism perpetrated by America and its allies”.
In a statement personally signed by the Shi’ites leader , Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky read ” It is three years since we lost this great Mujahid who has been an icon of struggle against terrorism and whose murder has exposed who are the real terrorists.
“The US boasted of taking responsibility in his murder. This clearly shows that they were all behind the terrorist activities in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria, where they have packages of terrorist groups under different names of DAESH, ISIS, and the like.”
“No doubt, they have made grievous mistake by murder of General Qaseem Soleimani. First, they have exposed themselves; and secondly, they have made his name and himself immortal. They have immortalized him by this murder and they also immortalized the struggle in which he has given his life.
“We pray to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala ) to have mercy on the soul of General Qaseem Soleimani and his colleague Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and those martyrs in the course of freedom in the Middle East and the entire world. We also hope and pray that their legacy will remain indelible (insha’Allah) until the final victory over the world arrogance and the establishment of justice all over.”
