At Least Six Protesters Reportedly Martyred
Nigerian Troops Violently Attack Peaceful Shia Rally
ABUJA (Dispatches) -- Nigerian police and Shia Muslim protesters clashed in the capital on Monday, with at least six supporters of the jailed cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky reported killed.
A youth leader who was among the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) protesters said he saw six dead bodies. The police, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report, tweeted that adequate measures were taken to quell what it said was a violent protest.
The clashes occurred in Abuja's business district, which lasted for about an hour.
IMN members regularly take to the streets of Abuja to call for the release of Sheikh Zakzaky, who has been in detention since 2015 and they say requires medical help. Live ammunition and teargas have reportedly been used by security forces in recent weeks.
Reuters correspondents said they heard gunshots and saw bloodstains on a usually busy road in the capital. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said IMN protesters set two of its vehicles on fire.
IMN youth leader Abdullahi Muhammed said he saw more than 20 casualties including people who had been shot on their legs and stomach. "I have seen six corpses now," he said, adding that police had many of the bodies.
He said the protest began as a peaceful march but police "started shooting with live ammunition on us".
Nigerian broadcasting company Channels TV said in a tweet that one of its reporters was shot in the stomach. The police did not immediately respond to text messages seeking comment on the alleged casualties.
The inspector general of police said he had briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the situation. "The president asked us to make sure we provide security for every citizen of this country and not to leave any space that some group of people will create breakdown of law and order," he told reporters in Abuja.
Zakzaky has been held in detention since December 2015, when the army killed roughly 350 of his followers at his compound and a nearby mosque and burial ground in northern Kaduna state.
He is facing trial for murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, disruption of public peace and other charges following the 2015 violence. He was charged last year and has pleaded not guilty.
Buhari, a former military ruler, began a second four-year term in May after winning an election in February.
A youth leader who was among the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) protesters said he saw six dead bodies. The police, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report, tweeted that adequate measures were taken to quell what it said was a violent protest.
The clashes occurred in Abuja's business district, which lasted for about an hour.
IMN members regularly take to the streets of Abuja to call for the release of Sheikh Zakzaky, who has been in detention since 2015 and they say requires medical help. Live ammunition and teargas have reportedly been used by security forces in recent weeks.
Reuters correspondents said they heard gunshots and saw bloodstains on a usually busy road in the capital. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said IMN protesters set two of its vehicles on fire.
IMN youth leader Abdullahi Muhammed said he saw more than 20 casualties including people who had been shot on their legs and stomach. "I have seen six corpses now," he said, adding that police had many of the bodies.
He said the protest began as a peaceful march but police "started shooting with live ammunition on us".
Nigerian broadcasting company Channels TV said in a tweet that one of its reporters was shot in the stomach. The police did not immediately respond to text messages seeking comment on the alleged casualties.
The inspector general of police said he had briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the situation. "The president asked us to make sure we provide security for every citizen of this country and not to leave any space that some group of people will create breakdown of law and order," he told reporters in Abuja.
Zakzaky has been held in detention since December 2015, when the army killed roughly 350 of his followers at his compound and a nearby mosque and burial ground in northern Kaduna state.
He is facing trial for murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, disruption of public peace and other charges following the 2015 violence. He was charged last year and has pleaded not guilty.
Buhari, a former military ruler, began a second four-year term in May after winning an election in February.