Tension As Police Clash With Protesting Shiite Members In Kaduna

Members of the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), commonly referred to as Shiites, reportedly trooped out in a multitude on Friday for a procession in Kaduna State.

However, the supposed peaceful protest in the capital city of Kaduna State became chaotic as law enforcement operatives, particularly the Nigeria Police officers, moved to stop them.

According to Channels Television, the Shiites had assembled near the Katsina roundabout along Ahmadu Bello Way prior to the arrival of the police, who attempted to disperse them.

This situation has caused alarm and unease among the locals, especially those with businesses situated along Ahmadu Bello Way. Numerous individuals reportedly shut down their shops out of concern for getting caught in the commotion.

Naija News understands that despite being prohibited by the Federal Government during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, this is not the first instance of the IMN members organizing a public march.

Three Dead As Police Clash With Shiite Protesters In Kaduna

Naija News recalls that three people died when Shiite members clashed with men of the Nigeria Police during a pro-Palestine protest in Kaduna in November 2023.

It was learned that the protesters came out to declare their unalloyed support for the people of Palestine and to condemn Israel for the killing of innocent citizens in Gaza.

IMN members, who started their protest from the premises of the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), marched through Muhammadu Buhari Way to the office of the National Human Rights Commission to submit their protest letter.

The protesters carried placards and white clothes wrapped like dead babies with blood stains, symbolizing the children killed in the Israel/Palestine war.

Minutes after the protest commenced, men of the Nigeria Police engaged the protesters, firing teargas and shooting into the air to disperse them.

Speaking during the protest, the leader of the protesters, Aliyu Umar Tirmizi, alleged that the Police killed two of their men during the clash.

He added that the Israeli government had murdered thousands of children and the aged and had demolished houses and worship places of innocent civilians.

Meanwhile, when contacted, Kaduna State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansur Hassan, denied the allegation that the Police killed three Shiite members.

He said that members of the IMN started firing at the policemen who were drafted to disperse the illegal protest, resulting in the death of a civilian identified as Aliyu.

He said: “It is a lie to say that Police killed two Shi’ite members. We were only out to disperse the protesters because IMN is a proscribed organization in Kaduna State. They were protesting against the Israel and Palestine war, but this is not Israel; this is Kaduna.

“On the contrary, it was the IMN members that started firing at our men. They fired catapults with pellets at our men. In the process, they (Shi’ites) killed one civilian identified as Aliyu. They blocked the road, attacked innocent civilians passing.”