EL-Zarzaky: Opeational Vehicles Damaged as Police, Shi’ites Clash in Abuja

Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, on Monday 14^th of May 2018 clashed with officers of the Nigeria Police Force at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, injuring a Divisional Police Officer, DPO, and destroying their operational vehicles. The IMN members, commonly known as Shi’ites, were protesting against the continued detention of Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, their leader when they confronted the officers.

According to vanguardngr.com the protesters threw stones at policemen previously stationed in the area and two police vehicles got destroyed in the process, one of them numbered: NPF246-7C. The Shi’ites also took over the roads within the area, leading to disruption of vehicular movement. The injured DPO simply identified as Linus, was injured on his face. The Shi’ites, numbering over 300 and armed with stones and sticks, had converged around the popular Eagle Square at 8:30am  to continue their protest against the detention of their leader but  the Federal Capital Territory Police Command deployed its personnel immediately to engage them.

As the law enforcement agents approached to disperse them, the group became hostile and started throwing stones at the police who did not respond with tear-gas canister against them as usual. Chanting “free El-Zakzaky, the group chased away the police team from the scene and proceeded to overturn a traffic warden cabin on the road, declaring their preparedness to engage the security personnel.

The members consisting mainly of youths below 25 years caused apprehension among workers, traders and motorists around the area. The protesters also took over the roads around the area which is few metres away from the National Assembly. A team of policemen who later arrived at the scene of the incident arrested four of the Shi’ites in the process.