By Luka Binniyat

KADUNA—The Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, yesterday in Kaduna revealed that the Nigeria Police killed 13 of its members with other 40 members carrying gunshot wounds clamped in police jails.

Policemen

A statement signed by the President, Media group of IMN, Ibrahim Musa, sent to Vanguard reads: “13 members of the IMN were killed by Police in last week’s procession in Kaduna.

“Reports reaching us have indicated that there are well over 40 members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria who are languishing in two prisons in Kaduna after surviving gunshots of the soldiers last Saturday.

The group in the statement disclosed that among its members arrested by the Police that two died yesterday due to unattended wounds, adding that they were still negotiating their release with the Police authorities in Kaduna.

“Some of the wounded are detained in Open Prison at Barnawa quarters, while the rest are in Kaduna Central Prison.”

They added: “Yesterday, five corpses of our members were handed over to us for burial by the Police in Kaduna.

However, to our greatest shock, they were tortured using electric shock and also stabbed severally. It was gruesome.”

“They were killed after being arrested at the peaceful procession they staged in Kaduna last week condemning the continued detention of our Leader Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqoub Zakzaky and the indiscriminate killing of our members.

“Before then on Thursday 17-12-15 four were buried, the following day Friday 3 were again buried after being handed over to us by the Police Command. This made the total number of people killed by the Police on the day of the protest in Kaduna to 13.

The group called on the authorities to release or at least give access to their wounded members so that we could be given proper medical care, “this we believe will save their lives, unless they intend to see them die of the gun wounds.

The movement also refuted the Police claims that they shot at the peaceful protest because the group intended to burn a Police station in Tudunwada Kaduna. “This is malicious because it is not in our nature to attack security agents, government properties or fellow citizens during our protests we call MUZAHARA. The Police should please find another storyline but certainly not this one.

“Meanwhile, the Kaduna state government has taken over the destruction of all the properties of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria located across Zaria. They have destroyed the remaining parts of the Hussainiyya and the Fudiyya Islamic Center at Dan Magaji yesterday.