Islamic group asks govt to release El-Zakyzaky

Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as Shiites, have faulted the Federal Government’s claim of protective custody of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakyzaky since the clash last year between them and soldiers in Zaria. They therefore called for his immediate release.

The Shiites spokesperson, Mallam Ibrahim Must, said in a statement yesterday, that people with conscience all over the world were baffled, “when on Tuesday the Directorate of State Services, DSS mentioned before a Federal High Court in Abuja that it is holding the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky in protective custody in order to fend him off from those who are hell bent on murdering him.”

According to him, the Counter Affidavit filed by the Directorate of State Services has shed light on so many issues surrounding the continued incarceration of their leader, pointing out that “the Directorate of State Services has made it clear to the Nigerian public and the international community that Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat Ibraheem have not committed any offence known to the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Continuing, he said, “ The Directorate of State Services has also confirmed that the injuries sustained by the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and his wife are life threatening and that they have spent N5, 110,000.00 treating them of gunshot wounds”.

He said DSS has also confirmed that Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, were never handed over to the Police for any form of investigation or interrogation.”

“ Isn’t it ridiculous to detain an innocent Sheikh? Where in our statute books and the laws setting up that DSS is it mentioned that a person who has not committed any offence and who has no prima facie evidence linking to the commission of an offence should be detained indefinitely, he asked?”