SAN FRANCISCO, August 16, (THEWILL) – Members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, otherwise called Shi’ites has blocked all the major highways in Kaduna metropolis in protest, requesting the Federal Government to release their leader, Shiekh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, or kill all of them.
This is in response to the continued detention of the leader, who has not been freed, despite court orders that he should be released.
The protesters were heard chanting, “Free El-Zakzaky, we demand justice, we are Nigerians” “release El-zakzaky or kill us all”. Police operatives had attempted to stop the protesters, but were reportedly prevented by an “order from above”.
Speaking on behalf of the IMN, Nuhu Mafara, said they were out to demand the unconditional release of their leader who has been in detention for 612 days.
He said: “We members of the movement from Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Bauchi, Zamfara and other northern states are here to demand the unconditional release of our leader. This protest was jointly organised against the illegal detention of our leader.
“Today also marks the over 250 days since the court of the land ordered his release, but the cabals holding Nigerians to ransom have stubbornly refused to obey these court orders.”
THEWILL recalls that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had in June clarified that El-Zakzaky, is not in detention as widely perceived, stressing that the Islamic leader is currently staying with his family in a house built by the federal government.
He explained that there is no place to release El-Zakzaky to as “nobody wants to accept him as a neighbour”.
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