The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), commonly referred to as the Shi’ites, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct security agents to release the international passport and documents of their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenah, prior to the end of his term.
The organization also demands the release of their members who were arrested at Kuje Correctional Centre in July 2019 during a peaceful protest at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja. IMN claims that the confiscation of El-Zakzaky’s and his wife’s travel documents is an attempt to harm them.
The group made this demand during a procession celebrating Prophet Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima Zahra, in Abuja on Friday.
The procession began immediately after Friday prayers at Fu’ad Mosque, and protesters marched through Wuse Market to Berger roundabout. Abdullahi Muhammad Musa, Secretary of IMN’s Academic Forum, addressed the rally and criticized the Nigerian government for not following the Kaduna State High Court’s order to discharge and acquit the Islamic scholar in July 2021.