100s of Nigerian shias wage protest rally in Abuja to demand Zakzaky’s release

Shia Muslims in Nigerian capital of Abuja have once again staged a protest rally to call for the release of their leader Ibrahim Zakzaky, who is still in prison despite a 2016 high court ruling.

Shia Muslims in Nigerian capital of Abuja have once again staged a protest rally to call for the release of their leader Ibrahim Zakzaky, who is still in prison despite a 2016 high court ruling.

The protest was held in front of the Federal Ministry of Justice. Spokesman for the Shia community, Abdullahi Muhammad, explained on Friday that the protest move came since “our leader would not be released to us.”

“We his followers are tired, and we want the Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami to do the needful by releasing our leader,” Muhammad said, further insisting that Prosecution Counsel Dari Bayero had complained of lack of adequate security in Zakzaky’s home town of Kaduna, prompting presiding Judge Gideon Kurada to adjourn the court without issuing a release order for the elderly cleric.

“This is inhuman; the government keeps telling us they are protecting Zakzaky and keep coming up with excuses,” Muhammad further emphasized, adding: “Today at a Kaduna High Court, the ruling on the bail application of our leader was again adjourned to November 7.”