Members of the Shi’ite group, Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) who claimed to be orphans and widows, took over the streets of Kaduna to protest the refusal of the federal government to release their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky from detention.
The protesters were spotted chanting: “Free our leader”, “Free El-zakzaky”, “He needs medical treatment” among others.
One of the group’s leaders, who gave his name as Abdullahi Mohammed, said they decided to stage the protest to draw the international community attention to the continued detention of their leader by the Directorate of Security Service (DSS) since December 2015 following the bloody clash between the IMN and soldiers that left hundreds dead in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Also speaking, a young woman, who claimed to be speaking for Zaria-based non-governmental organization, AbdulFadI Foundation, Fauziya Saidu, said the protest would continue until their leader was released unconditionally.
She said, “Most of us here are widows and orphans. We are only demanding that our leader be released for medical treatment. We will continue this match to Abuja and we will not leave until our Sheikh, his wife and others are released.
“Prior to that, in an unusual twist, the DSS claimed that Sheikh Zakzaky was being kept in ‘protective custody because he is a vulnerable individual.
