- Safiu Kehinde
Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian Army of the killing of five members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites, during a protest at Abuja yesterday.
The human rights group, in a post on its official X handle on Saturday, alleged that live ammunition were fired at the protesters, leaving five dead and several others injured.
Amnesty claimed the Force often deploy the tactics to kill when dealing with IMN gathering which amounted to extrajudicial execution.
The statement read; “Amnesty International strongly condemns the Nigerian military for the killing of at least 5 supporters of Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) yesterday in Abuja during a protest marking the end of Ramadan fasting. Many were left with life threatening injuries.
“Live ammunitions were fired at the protesters. Consistently, it seems the Nigerian military are always deliberately using tactics designed to kill when dealing with IMN gatherings. Many of these shootings clearly amount to extrajudicial executions.”
According to reports, a confrontation had on Friday broken out between members of the IMN, also known as the Shiite group, and personnel of the Nigerian Army forces in Abuja on Friday during a procession marking International Quds Day.
The Shiites alleged that the incident resulted in several injuries and fatalities among their members.
However, the Nigerian Army claimed the Shiite became violent, disrupted law and order and subsequently engaged troops during their procession.