Members of the Islamic Movement
in Nigeria, IMN, have denied killing a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and
burning the outpost of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in
Abuja.
No fewer than six members of IMN, otherwise known as Shi’ites, and a
journalist with Channels TV, were feared dead in a bloody clash involving the
Muslim sect and the police in Abuja on Monday.
Speaking in
Abuja, Abdullahi Musa, the Secretary of IMN’s Academic Forum, said the protest
by the sect over government’s illegal detention of their leader, Sheikh
Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, had been peaceful before armed policemen attempted to
forcefully disperse them near the Federal Secretariat.
According to him, “Security
forces led by the Nigerian police shot at our members, and injured many others.
I can confirm to you that, we have carried away six dead bodies belonging to
our members.
“The security agents also lifted
some corpses to unknown destinations. We are yet to account for some of our
members who came out to protest today. We believe the number of casualties may
increase before today ends.”
The IMN scribe also dismissed
claims that members of the Islamic group provoked the police through undue
confrontation before the shootings began.
“Our protest began from NITEL
junction through Ahmadu Bello Way to the Federal Secretariat. On our arrival,
we were still prepping to pray and disperse peacefully before live ammunitions
were released at our members to forcefully send us home. We were unarmed. We
couldn’t have confronted armed policemen,” he added.
He accused security operatives of
masterminding the vandalisation of public properties and the killing of DCP
Umar after the shootings to win public sympathy.
He said, “No member of our
movement was involved in the setting ablaze of vehicles and the outpost of NEMA
as alleged. But we know the authorities have been making frantic efforts to
blackmail us and sway the public sympathy against IMN and Sheikh El-Zakzaky.
“We are aware the police have
been sending paid agents in plain clothes to infiltrate our meetings and
disturb public peace in the name of IMN. But the Nigerian people are already
frustrated and oppressed by this administration. The government can’t get the
public sympathy they desire, because its agents are committing crimes against
humanity.”
Recall that the Muslim sect had
last week clashed with the Police which resulted in several deaths, injuries
and destruction of vehicles near the National Assembly.
In view of that, the Police
restricted all street protests to the Unity Fountain in Abuja.
But the Shi’ites defied the
police order, vowing o continue their protests on the streets of Abuja until
the government implemented a 2016 Order of the Federal High Court, Abuja,
directing the unconditional release of Sheikh El-Zakzaky.
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