At least 20 members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites, were injured in varying degrees when police officers dispersed them during a procession to commemorate International Quds Day.
Engineer Yunusa Lawal, one of the movement’s leaders who spoke to journalists after the clash, claimed they were on a peaceful procession to protest Israel’s continued illegal occupation of Palestine before the police allegedly attacked their members.
Yunusa said: “About 20 of our members suffered varying degrees of injuries with 2 of them including a woman sustaining gunshot injury, but so far, we cannot ascertain whether there is any casualty or not.
“Apartheid Israel continues its illegal occupation of Palestine. Incessant terror attacks by the Israeli brutal forces are being done frequently. The gross violations of human rights against Palestinians become the order of the day.
“The increase in people’s awareness of the injustice being perpetrated against Palestine and the exposure of atrocities being committed is what we are sensitising people about.
“The Islamic Movement has been observing this event for decades in Nigeria.In fact, one of the reasons for the Buhari massacre in Zaria to kill Sheikh El -Zakzaky and disbanding the Islamic Movement was this support and solidarity for the Palestinian.
“The same Buhari-led government that used the military to inflict the death-threatening injuries on Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife is now denying them their fundamental human rights to health by imposing an illegal ban on their travel documents.
“We condemn the continued incursions into Al-Aqsa mosque and occupation of Palestine by the apartheid Zionist Israel regime and We support the oppressed people of Palestine in their just struggle.
“We also condemn the continued denial of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife, Muallima Zeenah, their travel passports to enable the couple to travel for medical treatment.”
When Kaduna Police spokesperson, DSP Muhammad Jalige was called to react to the development, he did not pick his calls.
He also didn’t respond to text messages as of the time of filing this report.
