Court frees ‘100’ IMN members in detention

Hanatu Gwada, judge of Kaduna state high court, on Friday, discharged and acquitted 100 members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).

In a statement on Friday, Ibrahim Musa, IMN spokesman, said the freed members of the group were being prosecuted by the state government in connection with the December 2015 clashes between the group and the Nigerian Army in Zaria.

He said another court had previously acquitted about 100 members of the group in the same case.

“The Islamic Movement in Nigeria has today, Friday, 21/2/2020 again secured a favourable judgement in the case brought before the Kaduna State High Court against the last batch of its members detained since December 2015 following the heinous attacks by the Nigerian Army in Zaria,” Musa said.

“The court discharged and acquitted all the 100 remaining accused members and vindicated the Islamic Movement, thereby absolving both the leadership and membership of any blame in the events leading up to the Zaria massacre.

“This concludes the four-year legal battle, in which the Kaduna state government sued almost close to 200 members of the Islamic Movement after an attack on the Movement by the Nigerian Army in December 2015 that led to the killing of over a thousand innocent souls, and a secret mass grave burial.

“They all stood trial for sundry offenses, including culpable homicide punishable by death.

“It is a victory for truth and justice against tyranny and impunity. This judgement is certainly a victory for perseverance in the face of extreme persecution

“With this victory today, the false charges filed against the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife of aiding and abetting the alleged culpable homicide by these same discharged persons have been punctured for good”.

The IMN spokesman asked the state government to withdraw charges filed against Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, leader of the group, and his wife and release them immediately.

El-Zakzaky and his wife have been in detention since 2015 when some of his followers clashed with soldiers in Zaria.