Nigerian policemen and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria clashed again by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja on Monday, July 22, 2019, following reports that members of the IMN who belong to the Shiite sect were planning to burn down the ministry.
Hundreds of protesters from the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, a Shia sect, marched demanding the release of pro-Iranian cleric Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been held since December 2015 on various charges, including terrorism.
According to PUNCH, six members of the IMN was gunned down while rescue and emergency equipment worth N200m was destroyed during the clash which occurred between 12pm and 1.30pm.
A senior police officer and CHANNELS TV reporter were also killed in the violence.
After witnessing the violence on Monday, a Shiite protestor, Abdullahi Musa, said: “I am right now in front of six dead bodies, one of them is an underage boy.”
“Many, many people were shot.”
An AFP journalist said he saw police open fire with live ammunition as well as tear gas, while protesters threw petrol bombs at the officers.
“I saw six people dead in different places, one of them was a teenager,” the journalist said.
While the fracas occurred, it was alleged that the Shiites carrying petrol bombs, attacked the Federal Secretariat Emergency Response and Ambulance Bay.
Two emergency vehicles, as well as the entire bay estimated at N200m, were set ablaze.
An emergency official who wished to remain anonymous said, “The incident occurred around 12pm when the Shiites embarked on their usual procession.
“When they got to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they were dispersed by the police which had accused them of attempting to attack the ministry.
“During the fracas, the Shiites attacked the emergency bay and set it ablaze while the police were shooting bullets and teargas. In the process, one of the Shiites was killed.
“The equipment damaged cost over N200m. In the whole of Abuja we only have three of such equipment.”
The members of the IMN have been protesting against the continued detention of their leader, Ibraheem el-Zakzakky, who has been in custody for nearly four years.
The protests had been peaceful for over two years but recently turned violent when the Shiites staged a violent protest at the National Assembly last week which led to the death of two Shiites while security agents were also injured.
The Presidency had last week called on the members of the IMN to stop protesting as El-Zakzakky’s case had been taken up by the Kaduna State Government.
Zakzaky remains in government custody despite the federal high court ordering his release.
The government has refused and filed fresh criminal charges, including culpable homicide that is “punishable with death”.
The move has enraged his supporters who say Zakzaky is in urgent need of medical treatment being denied by the authorities.
Police on Monday described the clashes as “a violent protest” but gave no casualty figures.
“The police are taking adequate measures to bring the situation under control,” Nigerian police spokesperson Frank Mba said.
Amnesty International condemned the police action as a “reckless use of force”.
“This new crackdown is part of a shocking pattern in which security forces have used live ammunition to disperse IMN supporters who are simply exercising their freedom of expression,” the rights group said.
Nigerian broadcast company Channels TV said one of its journalists was hit by a stray bullet.
Zakzaky has been at loggerheads with Nigeria’s secular authorities for years because of his call for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution.
Northern Nigeria is majority Sunni Muslim.
He was detained after violence during a religious procession in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria in December 2015.
Rights groups say some 350 mostly unarmed Shiite marchers were killed by the Nigerian army and buried in mass graves.
The military denies the claim.
Since then, several protest marches by IMN supporters have led to violence with the police.
In October 2018, the IMN and human rights groups said, more than 40 people were killed when the security forces opened fire on crowds on the outskirts of the capital. The official toll is six.
After a rare visit by medical staff, the IMN said Zakzaky was suffering from a number of conditions including lead poisoning, high blood pressure, and glaucoma which can lead to partial blindness.
Zakzaky’s wife, Zeenah Ibrahim, has also been detained since 2015. She had an un-treated bullet wound, medical staff said.
Their son Mohammed Zakzaky earlier this month said it was a miracle they were still alive.
“It appears that there is a deliberate attempt to assassinate my parents through deliberate negligence towards their health,” he said.
A spokesperson for President Muhammadu Buhari last week called for an end to the IMN’s protests which “openly insult the President”.
The IMN said they would continue demonstrating as past court orders for Zakzaky’s release had been ignored.
“This government deliberately intends to provoke the movement into violence,” said IMN spokesperson Ibrahim Musa in a statement.
Yetunde Adegoke
