Nigerian Shias hold Ashura in 60 cities, demand Ayatollah Zakzaky’s release

The annual Ashura mourning processions held on Sunday in more than 60 towns and cities across Nigeria by the Shia community under the leadership of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky ended peacefully.

The annual Ashura mourning processions held on Sunday in more than 60 towns and cities across Nigeria by the Shia community under the leadership of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky ended peacefully.

The mourners also renewed their call for the release of Sheikh Zakzaky, who is being held for close to two years despite a judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja that ordered his release.

A spokesperson, Ibrahim Musa in a statement on Monday said the processions ended peacefully despite allegations by some security agencies that it will cause chaos in the country.

The Ashura procession is conducted worldwide on Muharram 10, to mark the martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, who was slain in Karbala, Iraq alongside 72 of his family members and disciples.

The procession was first started in Kaduna metropolis very early on Sunday morning along Kaduna Western bypass, which peacefully ended by 8:00 am.