8 injured as police disperse Shiite protesters in Abuja

The police in Abuja yesterday dispersed a protest staged by the members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria demanding the federal government to release and lift the travel ban placed on the leader of the movement, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky. The police reportedly fired teargas on the protesters and arrested some of them. A member of […]

The police in Abuja yesterday dispersed a protest staged by the members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria demanding the federal government to release and lift the travel ban placed on the leader of the movement, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.

The police reportedly fired teargas on the protesters and arrested some of them.

A member of the group’s legal team in the FCT, Barrister Ishaq Adam, told City & Crime that eight of their members were critically injured, with many sustaining minor injuries,

Mansur Hamza Malumfashi, head of the movement’s Islamic Medical Initiative (ISMA), Abuja Zone, said the protesters were demanding the release of the international passports of El-Zakzaky and his wife, Malama Zeenah, for a medical trip outside the country.

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The protesters held banners and placards that read, “Buhari must remove the travel ban on Sheikh El-Zakzaky”.

Malumfashi further said, “As we started our peaceful protest from the Federal High Court to the Federal Secretariat, all of a sudden the police pounced on our peaceful demonstrating members, firing teargas and using live ammunition.

“So far, I can confirm three of our members have been seriously wounded. One was shot on the thigh and the flesh was severely scattered; and another one was shot on his hand.” 

City & Crime reports that a Federal High Court in Abuja earlier on Thursday rejected an application filed by Sheikh El-Zakzaky asking the Department of State Services (DSS) to release his passport and that of his wife.

Delivering judgement, Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled that the Islamic cleric failed to prove that his passport was missing despite the 10 exhibits provided by his lawyers to prove that the DSS took the passports away after his return from India in 2018.

There was no response on the incident from the police at the time of filing this report.