A Kaduna State High Court on Monday, granted the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky leave to travel to India for medical treatment.
Police had tightened security in the Kaduna metropolis ahead of the hearing of the bail application of the IMN leader and his wife, Zeenat.
The couple have been in detention since 2015. The couple told the court through the application that they were battling ailments that could not be treated in Nigeria, such as heavy metal poisoning caused by pellets of gunshots in their body.
Their lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), argued the application before Justice Darius Khobo on July 29, 2019.
The couple’s application was opposed by the Kaduna State Government through the Director, Public Prosecutions, Ministry of Justice, Mr Diri Bayero.
However, in reaction to the court ruling, the IMN noted that the court ruled that their leader, Sheikh El-Zakzaky and his wife are to be taken care of by the Federal Government.
According to the statement, “A High Court of Justice in Kaduna State of Nigeria has decided today that Allamah Sayyid Ibraheem Zakzaky can loose his life anytime due to severely poor health condition.
“It ruled that the State government lawyers failed to provide cogent proofs for the existence of any reliant hospital in the country that can take care of the Sheikh. The judge dismissed a claim made by the State government lawyers that the foreign doctors that visited the Sheikh earlier in the year did not work in accordance with the government’s guidelines.
“The judge insisted that the defendants must be allowed to seek medical treatment since without that there is no way they could stand to defend themselves.
“The Court has issued an order that the Sheikh and his wife, Mo’allimah Zeenah Ibraheem, be allowed to travel out of the country for medical treatments but with the condition this should be done under the care of the Nigerian government.”
