The Inspector General of Police( IGP) Mohammed Adamu has warned members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shiites to desist from their planned procession on Tuesday, stressing that such action will be treated as terrorism.
The IGP gave this warning in a statement issued on Monday by Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, adding that the group remains proscribed by the law.
The Shiites planned to observe their annual Ashura Procession on Tuesday to commemorate the death of Hussein Ibn Ali in the battle of Karbala in Iraq. Imam Hussein is reverred among the Shiites as a martry.
But the Police which have had some hard times containing the activities of the sect in recent times said,”It has come to the knowledge of the Nigeria Police Force that some members of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) intend to embark on a nationwide procession, ostensibly to cause disruption of public peace, order and security in the Country.
“The Force notes that in line with the Terrorism (Prevention) Proscription Order Notice 2019 of 26th July, 2019, the activities of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria have been proscribed. Consequently, all gathering or procession by the group remains ultimately illegal and will be treated as a gathering in the advancement of terrorism,” the statement said.
The Police said further that to this end, the IGP has directed the Commissioners of Police in all the States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja as well as their supervisory Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to put in place concrete measures to avert any planned procession and/or disruption of public peace by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, anywhere in the country.
According to the statement the IGP also enjoined the public to avail the Force with useful information as regards the activities of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria. The police boss also advised parents and guardians to prevail on their children and wards not to be cajoled into embarking on illegal and ill-motivated activities by anyone or group of persons, under any guise whatsoever.
But the group through its spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, told BusinessDay on Sunday that the procession will go on because it is a religious activity and the right of the Shiites as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. He dared the police to prepare more bullets because the group will hold the procession.
The police have battled the group, especially when their leader in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zak Zaky was detained in 2015, following a clash between the sect and soldiers in the convoy of Chief of Army Staff, which led to the death of many members of the sect in Zaria.
They continued the protests demanding the release of Zakzaky. The recent protest was in July, 2019, when they clashed with the police in Abuja and the fracas led to the death of Deputy Commissioner of Police Umar Usman and a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Precious Owolabi, attached to Channels Television. The Government later secured a court order in July to tag the IMN as a terrorist organization and proscribed it.
Zakzaky was later granted bail by a Kaduna state High Court to seek medication in India. However, some disagreements over the scheduled treatment forced the Shiite leader to return to Nigeria. He has since been in the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS).
Innocent Odoh, Abuja
