Determined to silence their agitation, cops in Abuja have again launched a violent attack on members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria popularly referred to as Shiites, during a protest to demand the liberty of their leader, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and wife, Zeenat.
The police attacked the peaceful and unarmed protesters using teargas and water cannons to suppress their demands for the liberty of El-Zakzaky, who has been in detention since December 2015.
Secretary of the tutorial Forum of the movement, Abdullahi Musa, confirmed the attack while speaking with NaijaGistReporters.
He said members of the group were commemorating
he Arba'een symbolic trek, which ends with a march to demand the liberty of El-Zakzaky when the police swooped on them.
He said after the police took over venue of the protest, the IMN members moved to a different venue to carry the demonstration but the enforcement agents followed, attacked and arrested many of them.
Musa said, “We are commemorating the Arba'een symbolic trek which started yesterday and alleged to end today with massive free El-Zakzaky protest within the town but unfortunately the police arrived earlier at the scene where the protest was to start out .
“They occupied the world in Wuse Market and arrested numerous innocent passers-by while the protesters moved to Utako Market in Utako District of Abuja.
“The protest started peacefully but at Berger Bridge the police launched the attack with none provocation by the demonstators.
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“After the attack, we moved to Federal Secretariat and protested and it ended peacefully because the police were busy arresting innocent people around Wuse, Berger and Utako”
The IMN vowed to not be intimidated by the actions of the police until El-Zakzaky was freed.
“We involve the unconditional release of our leader Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife Zeenah.
“We will still protest regardless of the attack and arrest by the authorities until the sheikh, his wife et al. in detention since December 2015 are let loose ,” he added.
Many members of the IMN are arrested and killed by police during peaceful protests.
On January 21 this year, while attacking protesters, the police killed a journalist with Regent Africa Times, Alex Ogbu, in Abuja.
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