El-Zakzaky: Protesting followers now bear weapons, 60 nabbed – Police

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja Police Command has confirmed that members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) protesting the continued detention of their leader Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaki by the Federal Government, just as it also confirmed the arrest of 60 members of the group during a violent protest in Abuja, on Monday.

DAILY TIMES report that the group in continuation of its protest clashed with police officers on Tuesday, fired a shot which hit one police woman who was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.

According to police spokesperson in FCT DSP Mr. Anjuguri Manzah, “the group now bear dangerous weapons the woman is recuperating from the shot and the general public should be on the watch out on their activities. Do not forget that the police had recovered locally made gun from the group in one its protests at the central business district of Abuja.”

Mr. Manzah, said that the group defied warning from the police and staged the violent protest to demand for the release of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who had been detention since 2016.”

Manzah was in the hospital to see how the two personnel of the command, who sustained injuries while dispersing the protesters, were recuperating.

They are SP Linus Ogah, who had bruises on his face and could hardly speak or open his eyes, and Insp. Mary Ameh, who sustained injury in one of her hands.

“During the Monday protest, members of IMN or otherwise known as Shiites engaged police and haul stones at police personnel deployed to disperse them.

“They also smashed some vehicle glasses parked around the Federal Secretariat,” he said.

It would be recalled that on April 16, the police had arrested 115 members of the sect when they embarked on a similar violent protest to demand that their leader be freed.

Manzah, who said that though citizens had right to protest, advised that they should do that in a “civil manner’’ and not to disturb public peace.

He said that the command had taken proactive measures to check violent protest in the territory.