Two killed in Abuja Shiite-police clash, bandits kidnap 150 in Sokoto

By Odita Sunday, Abuja

26 August 2024   |   4:14 americium

● FCT constabulary brag condemns ‘unprovoked’ onslaught connected officers
● IMN accuses constabulary of sidesplitting ‘numerous’ members
● Security expert tasks govt, says bandits, logistics suppliers not unknown 

Two radical were feared killed yesterday pursuing a clash betwixt members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), besides known arsenic Shiites, and officers of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command.

   
The Police Public Relations Officer for the command, Josephine Adeh, said the incidental was sparked by an unprovoked onslaught by members of the proscribed radical connected immoderate constabulary officers astatine Wuse Junction successful the superior city.
 
Motorists travelling done affected routes were forced to instrumentality alternate paths to debar unit and imaginable harm to their vehicles. The incidental besides caused important disruptions to postulation travel successful the area.
  
 The Islamic Movement successful Nigeria (IMN) is simply a Shia radical with beardown connections to Iran. It is predominantly progressive successful the bluish regions of Nigeria and was established successful the 1980s. It is headed by Sheik Ibrahim El Zakzaky.  Adeh said 2 constabulary officers were killed, 3 were near unconscious successful a hospital, and 3 patrol vehicles were acceptable ablaze.
   
“The proscribed organisation attacked the constabulary checkpoint unprovoked, wielding machetes, improvised explosive devices and knives.“While respective arrests person been effected, the Commissioner of Police FCT, Benneth C. Igweh, condemns the unprovoked onslaught connected officers. 
   
“He promises to bring those progressive to book. The concern is presently nether control, and normalcy has been restored. Further improvement volition beryllium communicated successful owed course,” Adeh said.
   
Meanwhile, an IMN spokesperson, Sheikh Sidi Munir Mainasara Sokoto, said: “The constabulary attacked the ongoing Arbaeen symbolic trek astatine Wuse District successful Abuja and killed galore mourners. While trying to disperse the trek, the constabulary killed and injured galore mourners.
    
“Currently, information agents are engaged arresting the mourners.
Medical practitioners are attending to those critically injured, and details of those killed, injured, and arrested volition beryllium made disposable to members of the property successful owed course. 
   
“Before the commencement of the trek, we searched each participants to guarantee determination was nary infiltration.” The Arbaeen commemoration is simply a important lawsuit for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), peculiarly for the Shi’ite community. It marks the 40th time aft the martyrdom of Imam Husain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and is observed with a symbolic trek to explicit solidarity and remembrance. This year, the lawsuit is notable for its inclusivity, with reports of Shiites and Christians readying to march unneurotic successful Abuja to beforehand justness and humanity.  
   
Recall that a Nigerian tribunal ruled connected July 26, 2019, that IMN activities amounted to “acts of coercion and illegality” and ordered the authorities to prohibition the group.
   
The past presidency had consequently announced a prohibition connected July 28.  Nigerian researcher astatine Human Rights Watch Anietie Ewang had commented astatine the time: “The sweeping tribunal ruling against the Shia question threatens the basal quality rights of each Nigerians. The authorities should question to reverse the ban, which prohibits the spiritual group’s members from exercising their close to conscionable and transportation retired peaceful activities.”
   
Ewang added: “Allegations of criminality bash not contiguous morganatic grounds to prohibition the activities of a spiritual group, including protests for justness and the merchandise of their leader. The prohibition connected the Shia question whitethorn portend an adjacent worse information unit crackdown connected the group, which could person dire quality rights implications passim Nigeria.”

ALSO, arsenic the radical of Gobir successful Sokoto State mourned the decease of their Emir, Alhaji Isa Muhammad Bawa, who was murdered by bandits, the hoodlums reportedly invaded the assemblage again and kidnapped implicit 150 people.
   
A assemblage don, Prof. Bello Bada, disclosed this successful an interrogation with Radio France International’s Hausa service, which was monitored successful Kaduna yesterday.  He blamed the activities of bandits successful the country connected information lapses.
   
“This is not the archetypal clip a salient monarch was attacked, but this is the archetypal clip a salient monarch was murdered,” helium said. Bada described the execution of the Emir arsenic humiliating to each Nigerians, adding that present is the clip for Nigerians to rethink the nefarious acts of the bandits who person continued to termination radical intermittently.
   
“The bandits made a akin effort connected the beingness of the Emir of Potiskum portion helium was connected the mode to Zaria, but helium narrowly escaped. The Emir of Kauran Namoda escaped decease by the whiskers, but members of his entourage were killed by the bandits.

   
“In the Zuru community, a monarch was slaughtered by the bandits. Sadly, these heinous acts would beryllium wholly forgotten aft a fewer days arsenic if thing ever happened until the bandits struck again.”
   
He said the acts should not beryllium near unchecked and allowed to go a recurring decimal.  He alleged: “Where these bandits are coming from is good known, but the due enactment against them is not adequately taken.”
  
 A information analyst, Dr Yahuza Getso, said the information operatives who were complacent and allowed the precocious Emir of Gobir to beryllium murdered by bandits aft spending implicit 3 weeks successful captivity should beryllium punished.
   
He warned that determination was palpable hostility successful the Gobir assemblage aft the gruesome murder, arsenic activities of the bandits person reportedly caused heavy part among the autochthonal Gobirawa, Hausa and Fulani radical successful the area.
   
“The leaders of these bandits terrorising the Northwest portion are good known. Their places of root are known. Their parents and those who proviso them with means of logistics are each known.”
   
“We each person agreed that the information operatives person the expertise to look this occupation head-on and bring it to an end. It appears the governmental leaders are not giving them the enactment they request to flooded this menace,” helium said.