Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, popularly known as Shi’ites, protested in Abuja yesterday over the killing of a top Iranian General, Qassem Soleimani.
The Shiites also demanded the release of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, from detention.
The placard-carrying protesters also burnt a flag of the United States of America, chanting, “Death to America.”
One of the members of the group, Saminu Azare, said: “We went past the police stationed at the junction chanting against the US action in Iran. The police did not stop us, and we were just minding our business. They can’t stop us from carrying out our constitutional right”.
The spokesman of the IMN, Ibrahim Musa, said that a second protest was held at the National Human Rights Commission by 4pm yesterday.
He, however, denied reports that his members blocked the Abuja-Keffi Expressway.
He explained that they burnt the American flag because of the country’s silence over their leader’s continued detention.
“American senators wrote a letter to the Federal Government to release Omoyele Sowore. And Dasuki was also released. But they have not said anything about Sheikh Zakzaky. It shows that America is behind his continued detention. Sheikh Zakzaky is an international issue. That is why we are not happy with America,” he said.
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