There was confusion on Friday, April 5, in Kaduna northern Nigeria, when police operatives dispersed members of the Shiite Islamic sect, who were on procession to mark the International Qud’s day in the state capital.
Speaking to newsmen in Kaduna, the representative of the Kaduna State Police Command, ASP MansIr Hassan said members of the IMN turned violent when the police approached them, leading to some arrests and the recovery of weapons.
Residents in the affected area were terrified and remained indoors while the confusion lasted for hours.
Professor Dauda Nalado, a member of the IMN said the Quds day is celebrated annually during the month of Ramadan.
“The great global leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imaam Ruhullah Al-Musawi Al-Khomeini, invited Muslims and non-Muslims with humanity at heart to show solidarity with the innocent and oppressed people of Palestine and against the brutality of the usurper, apartheid, and the illegal state of Israel. The imam declared the last Friday of each Ramadan as the International Quds Day.”
Since 1980, the Quds in Britain, France, Sweden, America, Germany, Canada, Australia, and numerous countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, etc. The Islamic movement, under the leadership of his Eminence Sayyid Dr. Ibraheem Ya’qoub El-Zakzaky (H), has been observing this event for decades in Nigeria.
“In fact, one of the reasons of the Zaria massacre executed in 2015 was to kill Sayyid Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and crush this noble movement for justice, all due to the staunch support for the Palestinian course,” Professor Dauda Nalado said.
He then called on the Nigerian state to sever diplomatic ties with the genocidal Zionist state of Israel and also called for a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive package for the freedom of Palestine.
Also speaking with journalist after the incident, Mallam Aliyu Tirmiziy, one of the shite leaders, confirmed that four of their members were killed and 20 others were injured.
Mallam Tirmiziy said, “We usually come out on the last Friday of every Ramadan to protest peacefully and show our support to the people of Palestine for the inhuman treatment they are being forced to face, as is being done by others across the globe.
“We usually have a peaceful procession, but this time around, as we were about to start, the police came and threw tear gas at us and started shouting, and in the process, four of our members were killed while 20 were injured.”
According to an eye witness, the Police attempted to disperse members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) a Shiites Muslim sect in Nigeria, who held a procession and had gathered around the 232km Kano Road, Ahmadu Bello Way Kaduna.
“There were casualties on both sides, about 2 Shiites were feared killed. Some police operatives were also wounded. They were rushed to the hospital,” the eye witness said.
