A recent statement from the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, popularly known as Shi’ites, has accused the police in the FCT of attacking a peaceful Arba’een symbolic trek in Wuse, Abuja, which resulted in the death of some of its members, injuring others who were mourning.
The Shi’ites members on Monday held the Arba’een walk, which marks the end of the 0-day mourning period of the death of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), Imam Hussain.
This was as the police, in a quick reaction, also accused the IMN of carrying out an unprovoked attack on its personnel, killing two policemen and critically injuring three others, who are currently in the hospital battling for life.
The statement which accused the police was released and signed by Sheikh Sidi Sokoto for the Islamic Movement, and the Shi’ite leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, noted that the activities were held in the Masaka and Zuba axis on Saturday, were successful but claimed that some of the members were injured and killed by the police.
The statement further claimed that medical officers were accessing the members’ states. The statement informed the public that the details of the people injured during the procession would be made public after they were accessed. The statement claimed that security operatives were still arresting the mourners.
The movement noted that before the activities started on Sunday, due diligence was done by the organization to ensure that no individual was acting as a member of the movement.
In a separate statement from the police in the FCT police command through the spokesman, Josephine Adeh, the police accused the Shi’ite members of causing disorder in the FCT, killing some men of the police force and vandalizing their vehicle.
The FCT police noted that the members of the movement had gone on to attack the police unprovoked. She mentioned that some of the police officers who were killed were attached to the FCT command at the Wuse Junction by the traffic light. The statement from the police confirmed that three of the police officers were killed while three are currently in the hospital unconscious, with three patrol vans of the police destroyed by the Shi’ite group.
She confirmed that the members had attached the police unprovoked with improvised explosive devices, locally made bombs, knives and other dangerous weapons. Adah noted that after the attack, several members of the group had been arrested by the police.
According to the statement, the commissioner of police of the FCT, Benneth Igweh, condemned the protesters’ attack and noted that those found guilty by the police investigation will be arrested and charged accordingly.
The police also noted that the situation had been brought under control by the police, and normalcy had returned to the affected area where the attack took place. The police noted that proper communication would be provided as the details of the incident unfolded.
The between the police and the members of the Islamic movement have dated back several years, with deadly clashes occurring between the two groups.
The most notable of the clashes was recorded in December 215 when the military and Shi’ites members clashed in Kaduna which left more then hundred of the members injured, while their leader Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, his wife, Zeenat, were injured and arrested by the military.
