25th July, 2014
At least four persons have been reported dead after the clash between soldiers and adherents of the Islamic Shiite Movement at Sabon Gari, in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna State today.
Among the dead was Mamood El’zakzaki, identified as the son of the Zaria based Shi’ite leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El’zakzaki.
The clash according to information gathered by P.M.News from a member of the sect who confirmed the death toll, the crisis erupted after the members of the sect abducted two soldiers who were trying to break the procession of sect members who were marking the Qudus day, a day set aside by Shi’ite movement in Nigeria in support of the Palestinian struggle .
The sect member who claimed to be a witness said: “It was the tradition of the sect members not to allow their procession to be broken, a situation that brought about suspicion on the part of the soldiers.”
According to him, the soldiers provoked the sect members after breaking the procession.
P.M.News however learnt that the soldiers shot at the procession after one of their colleagues went missing.
The aggrieved sect members later embarked on a street demonstration, after the killings.