By Ihechi Enyinnaya
Members of the Islamic El zakzaky movement of Nigeria proscribed in 2019 by the Federal government on Tuesday, resumed protest in Abuja for the release of their leader Ibrahim El Zazzaki, his wife who has been in detention for over 5yrs.
In July this year, the group took to the streets in Abuja and clashed with security operatives. Police fired guns and tear gas in the clash. Two witnesses heard gunshots and one saw policemen fire their weapons in an effort to disperse hundreds who gathered outside government buildings to demand the release of their leader Ibrahim el-Zakzaky, who has been in detention since 2015.
The confrontation came two days after clashes with police left at least two dead and 40 protesters in police custody.
Protesters ran and threw stones as police tried to disperse the crowds. A witness saw police arrest at least a dozen protesters.
The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a group that represents Nigeria’s minority Shia Muslims, said it will continue protesting until they secure the release of el-Zakzaky, the Islamic scholar who founded the IMN in the early 1980s.