Shi’ites claim police killed three members during protest

 

• Police denies allegation

 

BY EMMANUEL OGWU

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as the Shi’ites, defied police order and embarked on the public procession Tuesday to mark the Ashura mourning.

The police had Monday issued a statement declaring that every activity of the IMN remained banned and any attempt by the group to embark on a planned road show will be considered as an act of terrorism.

Police says Shi’ites Tuesday planned protest act of terrorism

Notwithstanding, the group made good its threat and subsequently took to the street in some parts of the country.

Three people were allegedly killed when police tried to dispel the Ashura procession in the early hours of today, in Barkin Ruwa area, along the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, popularly called Western Bye-pass, Kaduna.

The IMN, according to DAILY TRUST, claimed that three of its members were killed, while others were wounded in the process. One of the IMN leaders, Aliyu Umar, said the police attacked them while observing their religious right of Ashura mourning.

According to him: “What happened to us this morning was not a clash but an attack on unarmed members of IMN. We were observing an event in Islamic calendar which is called Ashura mourning as a procession.

“We were on our way to observe this procession. We were doing it peacefully as we were doing it before when policemen attacked us, shooting live bullets at us where they killed three people and wounded so many others. I’m yet to confirm the number of those that are wounded,” Umar said.

However, the Kaduna State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo said the allegation of killing is false and mischievous, saying: “The police relied on intelligence report and quickly moved to the scene to disperse the gathering of IMN members.”

Sabo claimed that it has become the standard practice by members of the IMN to claim that police killed their members even when such did not happen. He stated that the protesters were dispersed professionally and that no one was killed.