Shiites protest in Kaduna, demand release of El-Zakzaky, others

Members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), also called Shiites, yesterday protested in Kaduna against the continuous detention of their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and others.

The protesters, who were mainly women and youths, wore black Islamic hijab (veil) carrying placards with different inscriptions.

One of the placards reads, “Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, release Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife, obey court order in Nigeria.”

The rally started at the Leventis roundabout, along Ahmadu Bello Road, while armed policemen made efforts to disperse them to avoid being hijacked by hoodlums.

One of the leaders, Qasim Umar, who addressed the protesters, urged Acting President Osinbajo “to set a good precedence by obeying court orders as a professor of law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).”

A statement by Mallam Abdulhamid Bello condemned the way the IMN was being treated in the country.

According to him: “If it is said that the IMN is the most oppressed community in the recent history, it is not an overstatement, because the Nigerian Army massacred over 1000 unarmed members of the group in 2015 within 48 hours.

“Where in the annals of Nigerian history had such a tragedy taken place without the leadership of the country showing concern?”

He alleged that the soldiers videotaped the pouring of petrol and burning of the corpses in Zaria. This explained why the state government could document only 347 deaths.