- Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria accuse police of killing four members during a clash in Abuja, denying police allegations
- The police reported two officers killed and three injured, claiming the IMN initiated the violence during a peaceful procession
Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shi’ites, have accused the police of killing four of their members and taking away their corpses following a clash last Sunday near Wuse Market in Abuja. The group claims the incident occurred during a procession to mourn the assassination of Sayyed Hussain, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
According to City & Crime, the violent confrontation resulted in the deaths of two policemen and one trader. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command spokeswoman, SP Josephine Adeh, stated that three other policemen were also injured, and she accused the IMN members of initiating the attack on the police.
However, Ibrahim Abdullahi Musa, Secretary of the IMN’s Academic Forum, denied the allegations that they killed the police officers. He stated that three IMN members were killed at Wuse Market, while a fourth was killed in the Mabushi area. He added that the police were fully aware of their planned procession as the FCT Police Commissioner had contacted one of their lawyers to provide information on the procession’s routes to ensure security coverage. “Contrary to the agreement, the police opened fire on our members, who were only holding placards and were unarmed,” Musa said.
He further revealed that about 14 members of the group suffered gunshot injuries and were being treated at an undisclosed location. He also mentioned that several members had been arrested and were injured. Musa recalled a similar incident in 2019, where the police reportedly took six corpses of their members, which were released only three months ago following a court order.
Efforts to reach SP Josephine Adeh for comments were unsuccessful.