In her judgment, Justice Hauwa Buhari enforced the applicants' rights as guaranteed under various sections of the Nigerian Constitution and International human rights charters.
The Judge also mandated the respondents (Nigerian Police) to issue a public apology to the Shi'a Muslims in a national daily newspaper for violating their fundamental rights.
In 2022, Iran Press reported how members of the Nigerian Police Force in Zariya opened fire with live bullets on Ashura's mourning procession, killing three people, Ja'afar Magaji, Aliyu Lawal and Muhsin Badamasi.
In an exclusive interview with Iran Press, Barrister Tayyib Ayuba, a lawyer and member of the Islamic Movement praised the judgment and said that he has been in legal practice for about 20 years but this judgment in favor of the Islamic Movement came to him unexpectedly.
"We have been treated badly for forty years. We have been victims of many killings and maltreatment. The masses in the country are with us but the Nigerian Government in total has never been with us even though we are speaking the right things and we are on the right way."
Iran Press/ Africa: The Islamic Movement's lawyer added that they have been winning cases against the Government in Nigerian Courts since 2016 over the cases of government's oppression against them, citing an example with 2016 Federal High Court judgments in favor of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, in which the Court ordered for his release and awarded him the sum of Fifty million Naira for the unlawful detention against him.
"We are very happy today, we were not expecting such justice to come from the Nigerian judiciary," the lawyer said.
Sheikh Yusuf Ahmad Yashi is a senior member of the Islamic Movement and also the representative of Sheikh Zakzaky in the Northeastern State of the country. In an exclusive interview with Iran Press, he said the Federal High Court's judgment brings hope to the citizens of Nigeria."As members of the Islamic Movement, we received the news of the rule that the Federal High Court passed on this day in favor of the Islamic Movement. We received this news with a high level and high degree of happiness and joy because this puts hope not only in the minds of members of the Islamic Movement but all the citizens of Nigeria.
There is hope henceforth that the judiciary, which is the arm of government would be safeguarding the interest of the citizens through passing fair judgment in their favor."
Sheikh Yusuf Ahmad Yashi called on the Nigerian Security agencies that whenever there is a felony by an individual or group of people, they must arrest the accused persons and take them to Court for trial instead of extra-judicial killings.
"What is normally happening in this country is whenever we come out for a procession, being it Ashura or Quds day, the security apparatus opens fire on us killing so many people. But by having this kind of judgment today, it shows that by God's grace, this barbaric action is coming to an end, he prayed.
Monday's rule is one of the several cases taken to different Courts against Nigerian Police and the Kaduna State Government that persecute peaceful members of the Islamic Movement, including the case of the killing of five Quds Day peaceful marchers by the Police this year. 219
