International Quds Day: 20 Injured as Police Disperse Protesting Shi’ites in Kaduna

About 20 members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites sustained varying degrees of injuries when police operatives dispersed them during a procession to mark International Quds Day.

One of the movement's leaders who addressed journalists after the clash,Yunusa Lawal, said they were on a peaceful procession to say “no to the continued illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel” when the police allegedly attacked their members.

He said, “About 20 of our members suffered varying degrees of injuries with two 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 sensitizing people about.”

He condemned the continuous incursions into Al-Aqsa mosque and occupation of Palestine by the apartheid Zionist Israel regime and the continuous denial of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife, Muallima Zeenah, their travel passports to enable the couple travel for medical treatment.

The police spokesperson, DSP Muhammad Jalige did not respond to calls put across to him at the time of filing this report.

It would be recalled that the Kaduna State government had in 2016 declared the IMN as an illegal society and proscribed all its activities.

Meanwhile, some persons were feared dead in Abuja as security agents and members of the IMN clashed around the Berger Roundabout in Abuja on Friday.

Eye witnesses said the IMN members, who were protesting over the continued confiscation of the international passport of their leader, Zakzaky, were dispersed by police officers around 1pm.