For Palestine, CIO leads mega rally of religious, civic rights groups in Nigeria Saturday
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
Sequel to its successful world press conference of Tuesday October 17, where it addressed the ongoing genocidal onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza Strip by the Israeli forces, the Conference of Islamic Organisations (CIO) has mobilised, for the next stage of the solidarity, members of religious and civic rights organisations across Nigeria for a mega rally slated for Saturday October 21, 2023.
The event, which will possibly be one of the biggest rallies in recent history of Nigeria, is scheduled to start by 10.00am (Nigerian time) at the renowned Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, where series of activities will take place.
The DEFENDER had reported on Wednesday the demand of the CIO asking that “The world must stop Israel now” its over 70-year-old oppression of the people of Palestine without the United Nations bring able to do anything.
It called, therefore, for the monopoly of United States of America in the Middle-East conflict, just as King of Jordan, like other Arab World leaders, snubbed US President Joe Biden over his double standards on the path to peace in the Gaza Strip.
The Jordan monarchy, through its prime minister, specifically cancelled a scheduled of Biden to the country on his way to Israel on Wednesday.
The country cited the reason for the impactful action against the US President as that Biden could not be able to stop the excesses of Israel.
Vindictive of the country, Joe Biden on arrival in Israel did not surprise any Arab World leader when he, first, took unverified narrative of Benjamin Netanyahu, whose Israel has record of commit-and-deny “war crimes” against innocent Palestians, to pass his judgement and, second, went ahead to back Israel’s planned ground onslaught on Gaza.
This Nigeria’s globalised multi-lingual newspaper had however reported the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, who condemned Israel is massacre of people in Gaza hospital in a casualty rate of over 500 deaths and over 300 wounded.
Also, Tehran, in a statement by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, warned that a ground offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip would be met with a response from other fronts.
Tehran has warned that a ground offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip would be met with a response from other fronts.
Iran warned of a possible “preemptive” action against Israel “in the coming hours”, as Israel prepares for a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip.
The Iran-backed, Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier for days, further raising tensions as Israel bombards the Gaza Strip to the south following an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas inside Israel last week.
“All possible options and scenarios are there for Hezbollah … Naturally, resistance leaders will not allow the Zionist regime to take any action in Gaza, and when it feels reassured about Gaza, move on to other resistance areas in the region,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said in a live broadcast to state TV late on Monday, as he referred to his meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah the previous day.
“Therefore, any preemptive measure is imaginable in the coming hours,” the Iranian dipl9mat said.
On Tuesday, thet CIO, an umbrella body for Muslim organisations, Imams and Chief Missioners, had earlier called on the UN to retrieve the peace process from the monopoly of the United States which has become part of the Israeli occupation machinery.
Speaking ahead of the mega rally, the Secretary General, Engr. Lukman Balogun said the body is fully prepared and had embarked on massive mobilisation within and outside Lagos to ensure a massive and successful rally.
Engr. Balogun called on all those who believe in the liberation of Palestinians and lovers of global peace, without religious or ethnic coloration to join the rally, which kicks off by 10:00am (Nigerian time).
