IN NIGERIA, SHIA IMN GROUP NOW CLASSED AS TERRORISTS
An Abuja high court
last week approved an application by Nigeria's attorney-general to outlaw the
Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN). It comes just days after the latest in a
series of deadly clashes between the Shia group and law enforcement left at
least 12 of its members dead.
A young journalist and
a senior policeman were also killed by stray bullets, believed to be from
police weapons. The police are also holding dozens of IMN members in its
custody after weeks of repeated protests in front of the federal parliament
complex and the ministry of foreign affairs.
The protests have been
on and off since 2015, after a military raid on the headquarters of the IMN in
the university town of Zaria, 267km north of Abuja. At least 300 Shia were
killed and the movement’s spiritual leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky – who was wounded
and lost an eye during the invasion – has been detained ever since. His health is
believed to be rapidly deteriorating.
Several court orders
for his release have been ignored by the presidency and a number of
altercations have occurred. In October 2018, soldiers killed scores of IMN
members and justified their action by tweeting a video of US President Donald
Trump in which he authorised “lethal force” against would-be immigrants at the
Mexico border.
Some analysts say the
government might be giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it. Others point
to parallels with the extrajudicial killing of Boko Haram founder Mohammed
Yusuf in 2009, adding that the proscription and government-sponsored violence
could be the beginning of another insurgency:
Meanwhile, the
Presidency has released a statement clarifying that the action is an outlawing
of IMN’s “criminality” and not a restriction of freedom of worship for the
larger Shia community.
“The IMN is
deliberately changing the narrative in order to gain sympathy & divert the
attention of the world from its terrorist activities, including attacking
soldiers, killing policemen & a youth corps member, destroying public
property, consistently defying State authority,” the statement read.
The IMN, which has
never shied away from litigation, is expected to appeal the judgement.
Why this is important:
The government now has legal backing and security agencies have been mandated
to take “any necessary action” against the IMN, as presidential spokesman Garba
Shehu has confirmed, so a cycle of violence may now be on the cards. Radical
elements within the IMN – a well-educated group with possible funding from
other Shia in the diaspora – could also return fire.
Source: The Africa
Report – 30 July 2019
By: Eromo Egbejule
By: Eromo Egbejule
FOLLOW US 👇
https://facebook.com/alhaqcentre2020
https://twitter.com/alhaqcentre
https://instagram.com/alhaqcentre
"Together Against
Extremism."
Comments
Post a Comment