In Kaduna, Nigeria, five members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shi’ites, were reportedly killed during a clash with the convoy of Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai. Abdullahi Musa, one of the leaders of IMN, spoke with Nigerian Tribune, and confirmed that Governor El-Rufai’s convoy ran into the protesting Shi’ites.
The leader of IMN, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, who spent over five years in detention, were granted bail by the Nigerian court. They have since applied for their passport to be released by the Nigerian government so they can seek medical attention abroad, but the government declined, and the duo’s health has been deteriorating.
The followers of El-Zakzaky have vowed to continue protesting until the Nigerian government releases the passport of their leader and his wife. These protests often turn out to be bloody.
According to Musa, Governor El-Rufai invited members of his political party to confront the Shi’ites in Kaduna before the gubernatorial election. “Less than 48 hours to the state’s Governorship election, followers of the oppressed leader of the Islamic movement in Nigeria came out to protest against tyrant Buhari’s refusal to remove the illegal travelling ban on their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenah, to travel out for medical treatment,” he said.
El-Rufai’s convoy then ran into the protestors and opened fire with live ammunition, killing more than five on the spot, including Aliyu Suleiman, an 18-year-old mechanical engineering student of Kaduna State Polytechnic. “Several others sustained various degrees of life-threatening injuries, and an unspecified number of passerby were also shot and arrested,” Musa alleged.
It is important to note that any act of violence or use of force against peaceful protestors is a violation of their human rights. The Nigerian government should take steps to ensure that the right to protest is protected and that all citizens are able to exercise their constitutional rights without fear of harm.
Comments are closed.