Shi’ites: 191 of our members ‘languishing in Kaduna prison’

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (Shiite) says 191 of its members have been “languishing in Kaduna Prison for the past two months”.

Ibrahim Musa, president of the movement’s media forum, said this in a statement issued on Thursday.

Musa alleged that those in detention were being held at the Kaduna Central Prison, claiming that they are facing secret trial

“Yesterday (on Wednesday), a magistrate court that sat in Kaduna Central Prison read out some charges against the 191 brothers of the Islamic Movement that were languishing in jail for the past two months,” the statement read.

“Among the charges were illegal assembly, causing bodily harm, public disturbances and possession of firearms.

“The Islamic Movement objects to the way and manner the court had its first sitting in prison. The court ought to have offered the general public its reason for the unusual sitting in prison, but it did not.

“For the court to hide under the guise of ‘security reasons’ for its sitting in prison is a travesty of justice, since justice as they say, should not only be done, but seen to be done.

“We object to the trial becoming a secret trial because under the law, trial of the charges against the brothers of the Islamic Movement should be held in an open court where the public can witness it. What happened yesterday in Kaduna Prison is akin to a secret trial where the public was denied entry to the court proceedings.

“But more worrisome to us is the charge of possession of firearms labeled against the brothers. The prosecutor even said a large cache of arms was recovered from some of the brothers that had to be taken to Lagos for expert analysis. We believe this is a trumped-up charge brought up against the IMN.

“It is pertinent to note that had the brothers been in possession of any weapon, the story of the massacre carried out by the army in Zaria would have been an entirely different thing.

“There would have been large casualties on the side of the attacking army as well but there isn’t. However the world is a witness to the fact that not even a single soldier died when the army mercilessly descended upon unarmed civilians in Husainiyya Islamic Centre and the residence of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky.

“The fact that weapons are just being brought up for the first time in this matter suggests that the authorities are trying by all means to frame up charges and produce manufactured evidences against the Islamic movement.”

The group also demanded for the unconditional release of Ibraheem Zakzaky, leader of the sect, and other members still in detention.