Nigerian protesters call for release of Zakzaky

Hundreds of Nigerians have taken to the streets of the capital Abuja to demand the release of senior Shia cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky.

Hundreds of Nigerians have taken to the streets of the capital Abuja to demand the release of senior Shia cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky.

More than 200 members of the Shia community in Nigeria and pro-democracy group Concerned Nigerians took part in the protest in Abuja on Wednesday amid police presence, holding placards and banners reading, “Free Zakzaky.”

Deji Adeyanju, with Concerned Nigerians, said, “What is happening to the Shia leader and the members of the Shia community is completely injustice. A situation where they kill…. continuously kill their members… and continuously detain their leader is uncalled for. It is against the norm of justice and equity.”

“As sane Nigerians, as responsible Nigerians, we must as a matter of fact condemn it, which is exactly what we are doing. We are asking the government to do what is right,” Adeyanju said.

Concerned Nigerians said in a statement on Tuesday that the group would begin daily “sit-outs” on Wednesday to protest the killing of members of the Shia Community and call for the release of the prominent Shia scholar Sheikh Zakzaky.