Shiites’ Leader, El-Zakzaky, Wife Get New Passports Years After Court Order

The embattled leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, popularly known as Shiites, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, have been issued new International Passports.

Naija News reports that El-Zakzaky confirmed the development in a video clip released on Monday, which captured moments some people visited him during the Eid-ul-Maulud celebration in Abuja.

This means that the Shiite leader and his wife can now travel out of the country for medical treatments as they so wish.

Speaking in the Hausa language, Sheik El-Zakzaky said: “I am happy to tell you that they have given us our new passports. The officials came to our house to take our data, and they have brought the passports to us.”

According to Sahara Reporters, one of the lawyers to El-Zakzaky, Shuaibu Waheed, also confirmed that the couple were now in possession of their passports.

It would be recalled that El-Zakzaky had filed a suit at the Federal High Court Abuja, challenging the seizure of their international passports by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

In their separate suits filed by the Femi Falana Chambers on October 14, they had told the court that their passports were last seen in the possession of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), which officially denied that it was in their possession.

Findings, however, revealed that while attempting to renew their passports through the Immigration Service, the couples discovered their passports had been flagged by the Department of the States Services (DSS).

They had added that all requests to remove the restriction were ignored by the secret agency. The duo had since asked the court to compel the DSS and the AGF to release their passports and lift the red flag restrictions.

They were also asking the court to declare that the seizure of their passports since May 2019, was illegal and unconstitutional because it violates their fundamental rights to freedom of movement.

They asked the court to mandate the defendants to pay the sum of N2 billion each, as general and exemplary damages, for the violation of their rights to freedom of movement.