Massive protest in Kaduna over El-Zakzaky's detention

Report credited to The Punch has it that a
massive protest was carried out today,
Thursday, March 3, in Kaduna state, as
members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria
(IMN), otherwise known as Shiites, thronged
the streets to protest the prolonged detention
of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, his wife
and other members of the movement.
They protested from the ever-busy Leventis
Roundabout up to Kano Road in the heart of
the city.
El-Zakzaky, his wife and several members of
the movement have been detained since
December 2015 when they clashed with the
Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna state.
However, the protesting members vowed
never to have any further dealings with the
Judicial commission of Inquiry set up by the
Kaduna state government.
According to them, they would to continue
the protest until El-Zakzaky and others
released unconditionally.
The spokesperson of the Youth Wing of the
IMN, which organised the protest,
Abdulhamid Bello, said they would continue
to be non-violent, peaceful and abide by the
laws of the land in the pursuit of their
demand.
He said: “It is now a matter of common
knowledge that a legal team led by Femi
Falana (SAN) and Festus Okoye have made
more than four fruitless attempts to see our
leader so as speak with him for the purposes
of submitting memorandum to the Judiciary
Commission of Inquiry and his appearance
before the said Commission.
“Femi Falana, Festus Okoye and other
members of the legal team of the movement
has visited the headquarters of the
Directorate of State Security on more than
four occasions based on the invitation of the
DSS for the purpose of having audience with
the leader and all the visits yielded no result.
“It is therefore clear that there is a laid out
plan to prevent the legal team of the
movement from having access to its leader,
its spokesperson and the custodian of its
properties.”
On Saturday, December 12, a road, which is
the only artery out of Zaria, Kaduna state,
towards Sokoto state, was reportedly
obstructed by the Shiites. Lt. General Buratai
the army chief’s convoy came down to
negotiate a passage, but was unsuccessful.
The army claim that Lt. General
Buratai himself then alighted from his vehicle
to negotiate passage, and this was when the
alleged stoning and murder attempt began.
It was when Buratai was allegedly hit that
his security detail began shooting in the air
to disperse the Shiites .
Later reports suggested that over the
following two days, the army attacked
Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, the leader of the Shiites,
at his residence.
Sources say there were gunshots and
explosions through the day and night, and by
the end of Sunday, December 13, reports
came through that Muhammad Turi,
Zakzaky’s deputy, had been killed . Also
reported were the deaths of Zakzaky, his
wife, a son, and some other senior members
of the group were detained by the army.