Two people are said to have been killed while scores of others were injured when police and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) or Shiites as they are popularly known clashed in Kaduna on Sunday.
Police shot into the crowd of Shiites protesters, commemorating the detention of their leader Sheik Ibrahim Zakazaky by the Kaduna State Government at the Ahmadu Bello Way.
According to a member of the proscribed group, ‘As we speak, we are working on our press release. There was a clash and lost two of our members were killed by Police. Several other members were also injured.”
As gunshots filled the air, most of the protesters and civilians in the area ran for dear life, and traders closed their shops for fear of being attacked and looted while police chased the protesting Shiites across the city. A lot of IMN members were severly injured during the protest.
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According to another eyewitness,
“The IMN group of the Shiites Islamic sect were out in protest to press home their demand for the release of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, who have been in detention since December, 2015 following their bloody clash with soldiers in Zaria.”
The group has since been proscribed by the Kaduna State Government which banned all forms of street processions by members of the group. The government has also refused to release the sect leader, Sheik Zakzaky and his wife despite multiple court orders to the contrary.
The group has continued to defy the government and held protests as police and other security agencies make desperate attempts to stop them.
Many have criticized the method with which the government is handling the Shiite issue as many have voiced the opinion that the group could morph into another Boko Haram if the Kaduna State government and security forces continue to toe the path of aggression.