UPDATED: One confirmed dead as security officials clash with Shiites in Abuja

A violent clash erupted between security agents and members of the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) on Friday, leading to the death of at least one person.

Members of the IMN told PREMIUM TIMES that some of their members were killed during the clash. However, the police only confirmed the death of an officer during the incident.

The police also said 19 suspected members of the Shiite group were arrested.

The clash occurred during the Quds procession by the IMN members on Friday around the Banex roundabout in Wuse 2.

Jafaar Gali, one of the leaders of the Friday procession, told PREMIUM TIMES that the procession started after the Jumat prayers.

“We were around Zenith Bank at Banex when some soldiers came to stop us,” he said, confessing that they also hurled stones at the soldiers.

Mr Gali said many of their members have been killed or injured. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately verify his claim, but we saw three military vans evacuating some people to an unknown location.

Another IMN member, who simply identified as Muhammad, said that the bodies of some of their members killed have been taken to Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

Mr Muhammad said the soldiers and the police used excessive force to disperse them. According to him, some people have been arrested including those not participating in the procession.

On Friday evening, police and soldiers took over the streets of parts of Abuja, especially the Wuse axis.

Police react

In a statement issued Friday night, hours after our initial report, Abuja police spokesperson Josephine Adeh said the IMN members were armed with firearms and other weapons.

According to her, police and security personnel encountered intense gunfire from the attackers, resulting in serious injuries to three security operatives.

“They were promptly transported to the National Hospital, where one was pronounced dead,” she said, noting that normalcy had been restored in the area while investigations were ongoing to ensure all perpetrators were brought to justice.

Ms Adeh said the Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ajao Adewale, condemned the attack on security operatives by members of the proscribed group.

Onyenma Nwachukwu, spokesperson for the Defence Headquarters, has not responded to an SMS enquiring about soldiers’ involvement in the incident.

Quds procession

Every last Friday of Ramadan, the Shiites globally hold their Quds procession in solidarity with Palestine, which has been in a decades-long war with Israel.

They also protest against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

The Nigerian government, however, treats the Shiites as a violent group. This results in clashes between the Shiites and security agencies.

Confrontations between security forces and the Iran-inspired IMN members became intense following the 2015 massacre where soldiers killed scores of them.

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Their leaders would later be arrested and detained for years by the Muhammadu Buhari administration. By 2019, the Buhari government proscribed the group following a court ruling that declared that the group was involved in “acts of terrorism and illegality.”

The proscription came less than a week after police violently clamped down on IMN members in Abuja, as they protested the prolonged detention of their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenah. The protesters also called on the authorities to allow their leader to have access to proper medical care.

During that protest, more than 10 people were killed including protesters, a journalist, and a police officer. Many other protesters were either injured or arrested.

In July 2021, a court discharged and acquitted Mr El-Zakzaky and his wife of charges filed against them by the government. Yet, the Buhari administration refused to release his passport so that he could leave the country if he wanted to. His passport was only released under the Bola Tinubu administration after which Mr El-Zakzaky visited Iran and the IMN shared pictures he took with Iranian leaders.

However, the government continues to treat the IMN as an outlawed group and efforts to clamp down on the group’s protests often lead to violent clashes with security officials.

Friday’s IMN procession was also held in some northern states.