On Saturday, Dec. 12th, the Nigerian Army brutally descended upon the town of Zaria with military weapons, attacking unarmed civilians who were gathering in a peaceful religious march, killing them indiscriminately. Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), signed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966 and ratified by the Government of Nigeria in 1993, clearly guarantees the right of peaceful assembly for the citizens of all signatories. Some reports have indicated as many as one thousand civilians were massacred during this peaceful assembly recognized by international law. In this carnage, leading members of the community were killed by government soldiers, including the leader of the Kano Center, Sheikh Muhammad Turi, Dr. Mustapha Sa’eed, Malam Ibrahim Usman and Sayyid Aliy, three young sons of the leader of the Muslim community in Zaria, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky (He lost 3 more sons last year to army brutality). Sheikh al-Zakzaky, recognized as a beacon of religious freedom, was severely injured during the attack and taken into custody. His health status and whereabouts were not disclosed. Ibraheem Al-Zakzaky is a community leader and true beacon of religious freedom in Nigeria. His movement, made up of diverse faith communities including Muslims of all sects and Nigerian Christians, has been highly critical of political corruption, the violent extremist organization Boko Haram and the relationship it has with facets of the Nigerian army, as well as vocal on other socio-political issues affecting a broad array of communities on the ground. The movement itself is heavily involved in educational and social programs across Nigeria. Please visit www.Islamicmovement.org to see yourself their peaceful mission. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Sheikh Al-Zakzaky, his family, and other community members currently in custody. We demand immediate medical attention for Sheikh Al-Zakzaky and all detainees. We demand that the Nigerian government take all possible measures to protect Sheikh Al-Zakzaky, his family and other community members, and to ensure their safe return back to their community. We demand a UN-led independent and thorough investigation into the massacre and the prosecution of all those responsible, including the possible violation of Article 21 of ICCPR. We demand all major media outlets to cover this story because "Black lives Matter...in Africa Also"