Another police clash with members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) in Abuja on Tuesday has reportedly left one person dead.
The incident occurred around Berger, a busy interchange in the nation’s capital.
Trouble started after the IMN who were marching from Utako ran into some police officers at Berger.
The protesters, who held banners with pictures of Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, IMN leader, were chanting: “Allah is great, Allah is great.”
A witness reported that the protesters pelted the police officers who tried to disperse them with stones, forcing the security operatives to fire tear gas and later release bullets into the air. According to him, a passerby was hit by a stray bullet.
“The police shot into the air. It was that bullet that hit the man on the head. Immediately the first shot was fired they all dispersed,” he said.
An Abuja resident also shared his experience on the incident.
“We just ran into Shiite vs Police clash in Berger, Abuja, me and Matthew Enyigwe, amidst gunshot and these Shiites young men throwing stones at police. We were caught in the middle. We just drove into them…”
IMN members have been demanding the release of El-Zakzaky who has been in detention since December 2015. The authorities have failed to release him despite court orders.
In July, a federal high court in Abuja declared the IMN movement a terrorist organisation.