The Nigeria police force has issued a statements debunking claims made by the proscribed IMN that three of their member had been killed by the police force during their Ashura procession nationwide.
Police Authorities said quote …“Yesterday at 6: 50 a.m we were told that some members of Shiites were sited around Nnamdi Azikiwe expressway by Bakin Ruwa Rigasa (Kaduna State) staging a protest and chanting slogans and seeking the release of their leader El Zakzaki. So on receipt of that information, a team of policemen were drafted and dispatched to go there and disperse them.
“They had been warned not to come out, they have been proscribed by the country and the state but they defied the warning against their protest. And when they came out they were violent.
They constituted a nuisance. They came with catapults and were firing at the policemen. Some of the commuters in the area had their vehicles bashed. That is violence.
“We have not received any reports of casualties until they came with this news. And this is not new. Anytime they come out for protest and we decide to disperse them, they will say that their members have been killed,” end of quote.
Similarly In Bauchi State, the police chief Kamal Abubakar, said they arrested 28 IMN members but denied reports that there were casualties.
In his words, “We had engaged the traditional rulers in the state to advise them not to come out but they defied the advice of their traditional rulers and came out in Azere and we tried to disperse them but they started throwing stones at us. But we dispersed them and it did not take long before the situation was brought under control. 28 of them were arrested. I am not aware of any casualties,” end quote.
His counterpart in Katsina state, Commissioner Isah Gambo, said the Shiite members hurled stones at police officers and broke the leg of a police officer.
“They came out and said they wanted to protest and we told them that they cannot protest. That other Shia members that are not from them will be allowed to protest,”.
”They started throwing stones and some of them brought out cutlasses. As I am speaking to you one of our officers has been injured in the leg. We arrested six at Malumfashi. We have arrested over 36 people. If they have the corpse let them bring it. We used minimum force to disperse them. No gunshots were fired,” Mr Gambo confirmed to Control TV.
The IMN has so far maintained their claim that their members were killed by the force and further expressed disappointment in the conduct of the policemen.
It said, Today’s fierce display of armory and rage by the Nigeria police speaks volumes as to who the instigators of violence are following the peaceful end of legitimate procession of mourners many places where the mourners were not attacked. Its shameful for the police being paid with public funds to unleash such unprofessional fire power on peaceful mourners across the states. This was sequel to the lethal orders given to it by the Inspector general of police, Mohammed Adamu to squarely deal with peaceful Ashura mourners.
IMN further said. “That the mourning procession ended peacefully in places not attacked by the police is sufficient evidence as to who the instigators of violence are whenever we are carrying out our legitimate religious duties,” end quote.
Control TV
