Armed attack by the Nigerian military on the Shi'a community of Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
The Zaria massacre of December 2015 is among Nigeria's most serious post-democracy human rights violations, with at least 1,000 Shia civilians killed by the army.
Key Facts
- Date
- 12 December 2015
- Minimum civilian deaths
- 1000 people
- Bodies secretly buried
- 347 people
- Burial method
- Mass grave, carried out secretly by the Army
- Target community
- Shia Muslims, mostly Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) members
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Nigerian Army claimed it responded to an alleged assassination attempt on Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. This justification was rejected by the IMN and multiple human rights organizations, who maintained that IMN members were unarmed and presented no provocation.
On 12 December 2015 in Zaria, Kaduna State, the Nigerian Army attacked Shia Muslim civilians, predominantly members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. At least 1,000 civilians were killed during the assault. Subsequently, 347 bodies were secretly interred by the Army in a mass grave, obscuring the full scale of the killing.
The massacre was classified as one of Nigeria's notable human rights violations since the return to civilian rule. It drew condemnation from human rights organizations and brought intense scrutiny to the Nigerian Army's conduct toward religious minorities, while also deepening tensions between the Nigerian state and the Shia Muslim community.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Tukur Buratai.
Side B
1 belligerent