One Person Killed as Police, Shiites Clash again in Abuja

By Olawale Ajimotokan

There was pandemonium yesterday in Abuja, which led to the death of one person, when policemen and the members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), collectively known as the Shiites, clashed in the streets of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The confrontations were stirred when the placard-bearing Shiite members assembled around the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) office in Maitama to demand the release of their spiritual leader, Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, who are both detained in a Kaduna prison.

Incidentally, the disturbance coincided with adjournment of the hearing on a suit preferred against both El-Zakzaky and his wife by the Kaduna State High Court to March 8 and 9, 2021, when the couple would appear before the court.

It was gathered that one protester died instantly after he was allegedly shot in the chest, while many others sustained various injuries.

Trouble unraveled when armed policemen fired several canisters of pepper spray and live bullets at the Shiite procession near Transcorp Hilton Hotel junction in Abuja.

The situation degenerated and led to many pedestrians taking to their heels to avoid being struck by projectiles hauled by the Shiite members as well as live bullets fired by the policemen.