Nigerian government secures court order to name Islamic Movement of Nigeria a terrorist organization

The Nigerian government has secured a court order to proscribe the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).

This follows a security meeting President Muhammadu Buhari had with security chiefs.

The court order for the proscription of the IMN group was issued by the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Friday.

Nkeonye Maha, the judge who presided over the court, made the order and directed that “no person or groups of persons should henceforth associate with the Shiites for any reasons.”



The court order was given following an ‘ex-parte’ application brought by the federal government.

To complete the process for the proscription of the group, the court ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation “to publish the order proscribing the respondent (Islamic Movement in Nigeria) in the official gazette and two national dailies”.

Protests by IMN members, popularly called Shiites, had turned violent in recent weeks.

The casualties included a senior police officer, a Channels Television journalist and over a dozen Shiites.

The protesters are demanding the release of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaki, who has been detained since 2015 after soldiers killed some of his followers.