Following a confrontation with the police in Kaduna State, the outlawed Islamic Movement of Nigeria, or IMN, often known as Shiites, claims that at least four of its members have died and an unknown number have been injured.
Professor Dauda Nalado, a member of the IMN, who spoke to newsmen, alleged that the police in Kaduna opened fire on Friday to disperse the procession of its members to mark the International Quds Day.
The law enforcement operatives, particularly the Nigeria Police, moved to stop the Shi’ites, who trooped out in large numbers.
The Shiites on Friday, had assembled near the Katsina roundabout along Ahmadu Bello Way, prior to the arrival of the police, who attempted to disperse them to undertake their procession.
The Shiites procession caused tension and unease among the citizens, especially those with businesses situated along Ahmadu Bello Way as shots were fired by the police to disperse the protesters.
According to Nalado, “The great global leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Ruhullah Al-Musawi Al-Khomeini, Invited Muslims and non-Muslims with humanity at heart to show solidarity with the innocent and oppressed people of Palestine and against the brutality of the usurper, apartheid, and the illegal state of Israel. The Imam declared the last Friday of each Ramadan as the International Quds Day.”
He added that the Islamic movement, under the leadership of Ibraheem Ya’qoub El-Zakzaky, has been observing the event for decades in Nigeria.
He explained that the annual procession was one of the reasons for the Zaria massacre executed by the Buhari regime in 2015 which was to kill Sayyid Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and crush the movement for justice, all due to the staunch support for the Palestinian course.