Ashura Day Procession: 6 IMN Members Killed, Scores Injured In Zaria

Six members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) have been killed with an unspecific number injured during a procession to mark this year’s Ashura Day in Zaria.

While confirming the killing to journalists, the leader of the movement in Zaria, Mallam Abdulhamid Bello, alleged that a combined team of security agents invaded their members when they were rounding up the procession along Zaria City Market and started shooting sporadically which resulted to the death of their members with many injured..

He gave the names of those killed as Jafar Magaji Jushi, Kazeem Lawal Magume, Ali Lawal Samaru, Muhsin Badamasi Yakub Zakzaky, Umar Inuwa Anguwar Fatika and one other person whose name he could not remember.

Bello said the total number of casualties had not been recorded but added “a lot of them have been rushed to St Luke’s Hospital in Wusasa while those in critical condition were taken to ABU Teaching Hospital in Shika, Zaria.

When contacted, the Kaduna State police spokesperson DSP Mohammed Jalinge said he was aware on the incident but was yet to be fully briefed on what transpired.

Meanwhile, the procession which also took place at Leventis Roundabout and Kawo bridge was peaceful with no cases whatsoever.

One of the disciples of El-Zakzaky who led the procession in Kaduna, Aliyu Umar, said, “Today, we came out in other to commemorate the Day of Ashura.”

The day is set aside to seek for justice as Imam Hussein did. “We use this date to remind the people that this day is the day of justice and people should emulate Imam Hussein in seeking justice,” he said.