Police, Shi’ites trade blame over Kaduna clash

There were tensions in Kaduna following a clash between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and police operatives during a pro-Palestinian protest on April 5 in Kaduna.

The two sides have offered conflicting narratives about the incident, with the IMN accusing the police of using live ammunition and killing seven members, while the police maintain they used only teargas to disperse the crowd.

The IMN, a Shi’ite Islamic group led by Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, claimed their members were peacefully protesting in solidarity with Palestinians when police opened fire on them.

The IMN in a petition to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, accused the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, and the state Commissioner of Police, Ali Dabigi, of extrajudicial killing of its members.

The petition, dated April 23, 2024, and signed by Resource Forum of Islamic Movement, Chairman, Prof. Abdullahi Danladi, was also copied to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; and the Chairman Police Service Commission, Solomon Arase.

They filed a petition alleging excessive force and demanded an investigation.

The petition read: “Policemen “opened fire with live ammunition on peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters in Kaduna and Zaria on 5th April 2024.

“Unfortunately, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police decided to use his force and attack peaceful procession.

READ ALSO:One dead, dozens injured in Shi’ites, Police clash in Kaduna

“Thus, he ordered the policemen to open fire with live bullets in broad daylight on unarmed peaceful protesters. This led to the killing of seven persons.

“We see the actions of Kaduna State Governor and the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State as arbitrary, unconstitutional and in breach of the ethics of the Nigerian Police.”

The police on the other hand, insisted their response was proportionate and that no live ammunition was used.

The spokesman for the state police command, Mansir Hasan, in a statement at the weekend, denied the allegations of killing any of the IMN members.

He said three of their officers sustained injuries following an attack from the Shi’ite members.

He added that the injured officers had been taken to the hospital for treatment.

The spokesman said: “We got the information that the members of the proscribed IMN were going to hold a massive protest in the state and the command deployed its men to most of the strategic places to stop them from blocking the road, especially Ahmadu Bello Way Kaduna.

“On sighting our men deployed there, the IMN members started throwing stones, firing catapults, and locally made guns against our men which led to three of our men sustaining injuries and now receiving treatment at a police clinic.”

This incident adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing tensions between the IMN and the Nigerian authorities. The group has a history of clashes with security forces, and Sheikh El-Zakzaky himself has been detained since 2015.

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