The President of the IMN, Ibrahim Musa, in as statement said the incident took place at Darur Rahma, a cemetery belonging to the IMN in the outskirts of Zaria.
“Some soldiers went and shot point blank an unknown person, killing him instantly after tying his hands from behind. They went away leaving behind the corpse,” the statement read.
“Witnesses including villagers and members of the Movement guarding the cemetery, who saw the horrific scene scampered for safety as the soldiers opened fire at the man in cold blood.
“It is not clear who the person is or what he did to them. Even much more unclear is why they chose to perform this gruesome murder in our property.” Musa said the army may have carried out the horrendous act in order to blackmail the IMN with whom it has been having a running battle for some years now.
“We feel obliged to inform the public knowing fully well the mischief of the Nigerian Army in trying to paint the Islamic Movement black in the eyes of the public especially in the last few days that they seem to redouble their efforts at soiling our name at all costs,” Musa said.
A picture of the victim was attached to the statement issued by Musa but it cannot be published because of its graphic nature.
The prominent cleric Ayatollah Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife were taken into custody on December 14, 2115, after deadly clashes between the supporters of the IMN movement and Nigerian troops.
Nearly 350 members of the Shia movement were killed in the clashes. The sheikh was brutally injured and his house was reportedly destroyed by the army in the incident.
The judge said he had given 45 days for authorities to provide new accommodation for the Zakzaky family. The accommodation is to be in the town of Zaria, Kaduna state, where the family were detained, or in other parts of the state or alternatively any other part of northern Nigeria.
Kolawole said the State Security Service would pay each of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife $78,984 in compensation for the violation of their rights by being held in unlawful custody for nearly a year.
Nearly 100 IMN supporters were killed when Nigerian forces fired live rounds and tear gas at mourners during a peaceful march ahead of the Arbaeen mourning rituals, which mark 40 days after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam. Authorities also destroyed a number of buildings belonging to the IMN.
The Nigerian government has stepped up its crackdown on the IMN since the December 2015 deadly incident.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) said there was a new plot to assassinate its leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, who was in an illegal detention.
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