12th July, 2019
The Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, also known as Shi’ites have vowed to lay down the lives of its members who are more down 21 million if the Federal Government failed to release its leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
Shi’ites said this while staging its protest in Ikeja, Lagos State on Thursday.
Members of the group chanted several songs, demanding that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration should respect court orders and release El-Zakzaky.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the South-West Coordinator of IMN, Mr. Muftau Zakariya, called on the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, to prevail on Buhari to release it’s leader.
According to Zakariya, the group would not desist from protest until Buhari released El-Zakzaky.
He said: “We are ready to die if our leader is not released. If they are ready to kill us, we have 21 million lives to offer. I know that Nigerian soldiers do not have 21 million bullets to shoot at us.
“It’s true that there are 21 million Shi’ites in Nigeria, and if they kill our leader, which country will they have to rule by 2023.
“Buhari got to the office because the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, assisted him. It was Tinubu that started the movement and spent his money to ensure that the party assumes power. We’re calling on Tinubu, to talk to the President, who is a member of his party to free our leader. If he allows the President to continue to kill our members, there will not be Nigeria in 2023. We’re not happy over the continued detention of our leader.”
This is coming barely 48-hours after members of the groups invaded the National Assembly and forcibly took over the complex and injured six policemen in the process.
The protesters were said to have overpowered security men at the popular Mopol (Mobile Policemen) gate and entered the second gate.
Soon after they entered, the Shi’ites members started vandalizing vehicles that were either coming or going out of the National Assembly. The mayhem forced workers and visitors to scamper for safety.