Nigerians stage protest rally in Abuja to demand Zakzaky’s release

Hundreds of  Shias have staged a fresh protest rally in Nigeria to voice their support for prominent Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky

Hundreds of  Shias have staged a fresh protest rally in Nigeria to voice their support for prominent Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been held in detention for more than three years, and demand his immediate release.

The Shia community took to the streets in the capital Abuja on Tuesday, carrying images of the 65-year-old cleric and chanting slogans in his support.

Zakzaky has been held in detention since December 2015 and was charged just in April 2018 with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, disruption of public peace and other accusations. He has pleaded not guilty.

In 2016, the Federal High Court of Nigeria ordered his unconditional release from jail following a trial, but the government has so far refused to set him free.