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A day after the spokesman of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim Musa, purportedly announced the suspension protests by the movement, popularly known as the Shiites, daughter of the movement’s leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, Suhaila Zakzaky, on Thursday, insisted that the group will continue its protests till her father is released.
She dismissed the statement issued by the spokesman of IMN, Ibrahim Musa, announcing a cessation of the protests embarked upon by members of the group following the proscription and declaration of the movement as a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government.
Our correspondent recalls that government’s decision to ban the movement came in the aftermath of the bloody clash between the security agencies and the Shiites protesters in the Federal Capital Territory on July 22, which led to the death of a deputy police commissioner and a journalist.
However, reacting to the statement on her social media page, Suhaila confirmed that the street protests will continue unabated until her father regains his freedom.
Suhaila further said that Ibrahim Musa has no authority whatsoever, to suspend the protests as he is not among the organisers of the protests and that the movement has not appointed anyone to speak on its behalf.
She said: “Even as I speak right now; earlier today, there was a protest in Abuja and there will be tomorrow, and there will continue to be on every week day. I just wanted to clarify because I saw news agencies stating that the spokesperson of this movement released the statement.
“First of all, the Islamic movement has no such thing as a spokesman. And the person who wrote this article (is) the chairman of the media forum; the media forum, just like the numerous forums we have in the Islamic movement is just a forum that is there for people within that field to have their own space and activities within the Islamic movement.
“This person has nothing to do with the people organising these protests that have been going on in Abuja and will continue to go on till El-Zakzaky is freed.”
The IMN members have been protesting the continued detention of El-Zakzaky who was arrested after the group clashed with a convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, in Kaduna state in 2015. The Daily Times recalls that Justice Nkeonye Maha had designated the activities of the IMN in any part of Nigeria “as acts of terrorism and an illegality.”
Also, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, re-affirmed IMN’s proscription, saying the group will henceforth, be treated as terrorists.
Musa in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday had stated that the group will forthwith suspend their regular street protests calling for the release of their detained leader after the Federal Government banned the group’s activities.
The group’s Media Forum President, Ibrahim Musa, said that the movement suspended the protests in good faith and out of respect for eminent Nigerians and groups, whose inputs in the resolution of the problem appear genuine.
While expressing hope that the matter surrounding the detention of El-Zakzaky would be resolved amicably, he further disclosed that the suspension of the street protests was to “allow for some new openings into the resolution of the problem, especially the court case instituted by our lawyers on the proscription order made by the federal government this week.
“It has taken this step in good faith out of respect for some eminent people and groups, whose input in the resolution of the problems appears genuine and we sincerely hope an amicable way could be found to solve the crises surrounding the illegal detention of our leader for almost four years now.
“If at all any protests occur anywhere in the country, it might be this not
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