A member of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Muhsin Abdallah, died on Monday as a result of police gunshots while many others sustained injuries as they staged a protest to commemorate the 70th Birthday of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky in Abuja.
The incident caused a pandemonium in the Maitama Area as workers and passersby scampered for safety to avoid stray bullet.
Abdullahi Muhammad Musa, Secretary to the Academic Forum of the IMN, told newsmen that members of the group staged the peaceful protest to celebrate their leader and to call for his unconditional release, including his wife.
“Today, we came out to the streets to celebrate our leader’s 70th birthday anniversary and at the same time to call for his freedom and also remind the general public that In 2015 within 48hrs, over 1000 of his followers were mercilessly killed by the official vampires(Nigerian Army) as they launched an attack on him in his own residence, killing almost every soul in the house and set the corpses ablaze.
“They met him (Zakzaky) inside a room with his wife and some of his brave children, killed three of his sons before him as he watched.
“They shot his wife before him, shot him all over his body including his eyes and dragged his bleeding body on top of the copses of his killed sons.
“They keep him and his wife till date without proper medication despite a valid court order for his unconditional release and compensation for violation of his fundamental right since December 2016,” Musa said.
According to him, the protest started peacefully but after 10 minutes, the police arrived and started shooting.
“One protester by name MUHSIN from Minna, Niger State was killed by the police and 13 protesters sustained serious and life threatening gunshot injury,” he added.
Musa restated their resolved to continue the peaceful protest until their leader and his wife are released.
“We will continue to protest in Abuja until the Buhari regime respect the law and free our leader unconditionally as ordered by a competent court of law,” Musa insisted.
