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Shiites Rejects El-Zakzaky’s Transfer To Correctional Facility

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BREAKING: Court Declines Shiites’ Leader, El-Zakzaky’s Request To Recover Passport From DSS

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has condemned the transfer of its leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife from the custody of the DSS to a Kaduna Correctional Center.

Naija News reports that the Kaduna State High Court had on Thursday ordered the Shiites leader and his wife to be moved to the facility.

Reacting in a statement by its spokesperson, Ibrahim Musa, the group described the directive as a move to punish them further.

The IMN said the correction centre that the court asked its leader and his wife to be transferred to lacked basic amenities like a well equipped medical facility.

Shiites accused the Kaduna State government of humiliating El-Zakzaky and subjecting him to further hardships.

According to the group, the Kaduna state government had chosen a path of dishonour and shame in charging the Sheikh and his wife for aiding and abetting alleged offences they couldn’t prove in the same court against hundreds of his supporters.

IMN said: “When the court granted them medical leave to go and seek urgent medical attention in India, the government had opposed, trying to rather put obstacles on their paths. Then they attempted to assassinate the Sheikh, with the active connivance of NIA, in India.

“That too was botched with the Sheikh opting to rather return to Nigeria. Since that return, the Sheikh and his wife have been largely held incommunicado. No contact with their legal representatives was given and only minimal contact with doctors and even that only after the Sheikh’s wife took seriously ill in detention.

“We, therefore, take a very strong exception to the misinformation in court today that they were being allowed unfettered access to their legal representatives. To rub salt to injury, the prosecuting counsels had requested the court to order the immediate transfer of these very ill persons to the ill-equipped Kaduna Convict Prison rather than to a well-equipped medical facility.

“The Kaduna prison is dilapidated and is without any medical facility. It was in that very prison that some survivors of the Zaria genocide of December 2015 died due to lack of medical attention. It can therefore never be a substitute for an appropriately furnished medical facility that can take care of their urgent medical needs.

“We view any attempt to take Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife to anywhere other than a hospital that is sufficiently equipped to handle their medical needs as punishing them further.

“Their absence in court again today is even worrisome because they were equally absent during the last court session because of what their counsel, Femi Falana, said at that time, was due to their deteriorating health conditions.

“We therefore vehemently condemn any attempt at further subjecting Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife to more hardship. We reiterate our unequivocal demand for their immediate and unconditional release. We will never waiver or succumb, and will leave no stone unturned in our legitimate demand for his freedom.”