The Islamic Movement of Nigeria, otherwise known as Shi’ites, has denied planning to embark on a seven-day mass protest in Abuja over the killing of its members by security operatives during the annual Arbaeen Symbolic Trek.
A “security advisory alert” had on Thursday gone viral on social media alleging plans by the group to embark on the protest in some locations which included; Wuse market, Mararaba, Nyanya, Garki , Area 1, Banex and the Federal Secretariat.
The Secretary of Academic Forum of the Movement, Abdullahi Musa, who spoke to SaharaReporters on Friday in Abuja, said the speculation by one of the agencies of the United Nations which allegedly released the “security advisory alert” was malicious and total falsehood.
He said the movement was not planning any protest adding that the message was aimed at tarnishing the image of the movement.
Musa said, “The Islamic movement under the leadership of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky has no plans for any seven days protest that was supposed to start yesterday. It is unfortunate that an agency of the United Nations that is directly under the office of the UN Secretary General will listen and respond to a cooked up and fake security alert by an unknown body.
“The UN should have asked Buhari and his Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to release the travel documents of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife to attend to their health challenges, particularly those triggered by numerous bullets shrapnel and fragments which released poison into their blood instead of responding to lies and campaign of calumny by Nigeria’s enemies of peace and progress.
“Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife’s health situation does not only require having qualified medical professionals, but also a medical facility with up-to-date equipment.”
Musa therefore asked Nigerians to disregard the message and go about their normal businesses stating that the United Nations should have asked the Nigerian government the reasons for withholding his travel documents.
