The Academic Forum of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) also known as Shiite yesterday organised a peaceful rally in Kaduna, demanding the release of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, who has been in detention since December 2015.
Thousands of members of the movement converged on the Leventis Roundabout at the city centre by 11a.m, calling on the army authorities and the federal government to release their leader, his wife and other members of the sect being detained since clash between the group and the army in Zaria on December 12, 2015 .
However, as soon as the police got the information about the peaceful protest, members of the movement quickly dispersed.
Kaduna State Police Command spokesman, Abubakar Zubairu, said the Shiites dispersed on their own before the arrival of the police at the Leventis Roundabout.
“But our men have taken over the place to stop further use of the place by the Shiites, if our men had arrived in there early enough, we would have stopped the rally, the Shiites left the roundabout before the police arrived,” he said.
However, in a statement issued after the rally, President of the Academic Forum of the movement, Abudllahi Ibrahim, reiterated that Shiites will not rest on their oars until their leader and others are freed.
“We are echoing our demand that our leader Sheikh Zakzaky, his wife Zeenatu and all other members of the movement who are now languishing in different prisons and army barracks nation wide be released,” he said.
