There was no clash. But this protest is One of the biggest since the
December 2015 Zaria attack. Also, there's a new dimension to the protest. For the first time
Christian clergy have joined members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria to protest
for the release of Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky.
Nigerian Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky is in a critical state of health and has lost his ability to walk, a Nigerian political activist said, denouncing the Abuja government for depriving the imprisoned cleric of medical treatment.
In December 2016, Abuja division of the Federal High Court of Nigeria ruled that Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat should be released unconditionally.
The prominent cleric and his wife were taken into custody on December 14, 2015, after deadly clashes between the supporters of the IMN and Nigerian troops.
Nearly 350 members of the Shiite movement were killed in the clashes. The sheikh was brutally injured and his house was reportedly destroyed by the army in the incident.
Local sources say Sheikh Zakzaky needs immediate health care, an eye surgery, and an operation to extract a pellet in his wrist.
