The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) also known as Shi’ite group has explained how five of their members were killed with 25 others sustaining varying degrees of injuries when the Police tried dispersing them during their pro-Palestinian demonstration also known as Quds International Day.
A statement in Kaduna by IMN Spokesperson, Aliyu Umar Tirmizhi, said it has been an annual activity to commemorate the International Quds Day on the last Friday of every month of Ramadan to show support for the oppressed people of Palestine who are facing mass genocide perpetrated by Israel.
He said, the activity has been sustained for the past 30 years in major cities of Nigeria and has always been peaceful as other activities they engage in over the decades.
“Unfortunately, on Friday 6, 2024, the well-organised peaceful demonstration staged by unarmed men, women, children and even the physically challenged, to sympathise with the Palestinians and condemn the genocide being perpetrated by Israel in Gaza, the police with full combat-ready force came in tens of vehicles carrying heavy arms and clamped down on the peaceful demonstration.
“Not minding who were there, they started by throwing teargas and simultaneously shooting sporadically at women, children, physically challenged and men and onlookers present there, without any provocation. As a result, they killed five innocent persons, including minors, and injured 25 with some of them in very unstable situation. Those killed include Mahamud Umar, Ibrahim Rabiu, Haidar Ishaq, Mustapha Buruku and Ahmad Mustafa,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Mansir Hasan, had denied the allegations of killing of any of the IMN members but instead said three of their officers sustained injuries following an attack from the Shiite members. The Police also said the injured officers have been taken to the hospital for treatment.
He denied the allegations that they killed members of the IMN, saying that no live ammunition was used to disperse the processing Shiite members.
According to the PPRO: “We got the information that the members of the proscribed IMN were going to hold a massive protest in the State and the command deployed its men to most of the strategic places to stop them from blocking the road, especially Ahmadu Bello Way Kaduna.
“On sighting our men deployed there, the IMN members started throwing stones, firing catapults, and locally made guns against our men which led to three of our men sustaining injuries and now receiving treatment at a police clinic,” he said.
He said the Police used teargas to disperse them, which also led to the arrest of eight suspects.
He listed the items recovered from the suspects to include; three locally fabricated guns, catapults and other dangerous locally-made weapons.
On the alleged killing of four IMN members, the PPRO denied the allegation, asking of where the bodies of those killed were kept.
“If they claimed four of their members were killed, where are the bodies and which hospital were they taken to? How can we identify them? Our men didn’t use live ammunition but only used teargas to disperse them,” he said.
But IMN accused the Police of being economical with the truth, saying: “We wish to state categorically that the police attacked the peaceful demonstration, shooting sporadically at women, children, physically challenged and onlookers with live bullets where they killed Five and injured 25 others including minors for their crime of speaking against the genocide perpetrated on Palestinians by Israel.
“We wish the Police would use such force on the kidnappers and bandits having a field day in the state and comb them out of the bushes. Unfortunately, it is the other way round.
“On a final note, we wish to state categorically that we are not going to accept this extrajudicial act perpetrated by the police and shall seek legal redress before a competent court of jurisdiction in the country,” he stated.
The group reiterated that as Nigerian citizens, they enjoy the right to express themselves and have the freedom to choose whatever faith to belong to and to preach their creed in the peaceful manner they have conducted ourselves in decades.