Shiites’ remembrance of alleged slayed members aborted in Zaria

Security operatives yesterday stopped members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) from marking the remembrance of their dead colleagues. The members, also called Shiites, had planned to pay tribute to three children of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and 31 others, who were allegedly killed in the Zaria clash of July 25, 2015.

According to the Shiites, the operatives deployed 18 trucks of heavily armed personnel to the venue to stop the event. When journalists asked the Area Commander in charge of Zaria, Ibrahim Abdullahi, to speak on the issue, he declined and ordered them to vacate the scene.

One of the group’s leaders, Abdulhamid Bello disclosed that the police seized the camera of one of the reporters who covered the event.

Narrating their experience, he said: “We were holding our annual remembrance anniversary in memory of 34 of our members killed in Zaria, including the three sons of El-Zakzaky.

“The programme started by 8:00a.m., but before the security personnel stormed the area around 10:00a.m. the army came first and surrounded the place. They didn’t say anything, so we continued the tribute.

“When the police, who were led by the ACP arrived, they disrupted the event. They tried to provoke us but failed, because we were well organised,” he said.
He further explained that ACP told the person who was delivering a sermon to conclude and go away.

Bello said about 10,000 members attended the event, while many others were prevented from entering. One of those prevented from the venue, Adamu Tsoho, said he came from Jos, and described the situation as unfortunate.