By Luminous Jannamike ABUJA – Members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a.k.a Shi’ites, on Sunday alleged that the Nigerian Police were yet to release bodies of their members shot dead, and those who sustained injuries during a clash with security agents 10 months ago. Recall that on July 22, 2019, the Shi’ites in Abuja had staged a protest; demanding the release of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, who was held in a detention facility by the federal government in defiance to several court order for his release.
The protest became fatal and claimed the lives of a police officer, six members of IMN, a journalist with Channels TV. However, in a statement issued by Abdullahi Musa, the Secretary of IMN’s Academic Forum of the IMN, claimed the police evacuated the corpses of their members and has refused to release them for befitting burial.
“The police evacuated all the corpses and deposited them at the National Hospital. Some of the seriously injured protesters were however taken to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada by members of their immediate families. “Unfortunately, a legion of armed-to-the-teeth policemen raided the hospital and whisked them off. Having arrested and taken those already admitted away from the hospital, despite their gory gunshot wounds, the police dumped them at the FCT-SARS without treatments, medical or surgical. “Under police custody, three persons died due to lack of medication coupled with traumas of the facility, and their corpses were deposited at the Asokoro District Hospital. “Since then, all concerted efforts to have all the nine corpses released for befitting burial proved abortive. There has never been any positive response from neither the police nor the National Hospital nor the Asokoro District Hospital.