Iran Press/Africa: Protesters have gathered near the Nigerian Parliament, calling for the release of The leader of IMN Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky.
According to Hausa TV, police have opened fire at the protesters and a police car has run over the crowd. Several people have been injured during the clash, but no casualties have been reported.
The protesters concerned about the Sheikh’s health, saying that he has been poisoned and he needs immediate treatment. but the peaceful gathering has led to police violence against the protesters.
Sheikh Zakzaky has been held in detention since December 2015 and was charged just in April 2018 with unlawful assembly and disruption of the public peace, allegations that rejected by Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).
IMN spokesman Ibrahim Musa, emphasizing that Zakzaki should have been granted bail due to poor health and if government keep him in jail, the protest will continue in Abuja and across the country.
In 2016, Nigeria’s federal high court ordered his unconditional release from jail following a trial, but the government has so far refused to set him free.
The top cleric, who is in his mid-sixties, lost his left eyesight in a raid which was carried out by the Nigerian army on his residence in the northern town of Zaria in December 2015.
During the raid, Zakzaky’s wife sustained serious wounds too and more than 300 of his followers and three of his sons were killed. Zakzaky, his wife, and a large number of the cleric’s followers have since been in custody.
On Sunday, Sheikh Zakzaky’s son warned that his father's physical conditions are severely deteriorating and nearly all options to save his life have been lost.
On Friday, the UK-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) announced that it had received reports about Zakzaky’s health condition that it had further worsened.
The IHRC — which had sent a medical team to Nigeria in April to examine the health condition of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife — has already said the specialist treatment they require can only be fully accessed outside the African country.
Separately, members of the IMN had also said last week that the cleric had been poisoned in prison and required urgent medical care abroad. 213/208
Read more:
Serious health concerns for Nigeria's Sheikh Zakzaky
Iranians condemn Zakzaky’s wrongful incarceration
Nigerian protesters call for release of Zakzaky
