Court detains 189 Shiites over illegal possession of firearms

– Court remanded 189 Shiites over Zaria massacre

– All suspects pleaded not guilty

Kaduna magistrates court yesterday, February 20, ordered 189 Shiite Muslims to be detained pending trial following the Zaria massacre in December last year.

On December 12, 2015, Shiites under the leadership of Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky clashed with Nigerian soldiers in Zaria.

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According to the official account of the army, members of the Shiite group blocked the route of the army chief’s motorcade thus prompting a confrontation. However, the group denied the accusation.

Human rights groups claimed that the Zaria massacre left hundreds of Shiite Muslims dead.

The Nigerian army also eventually destroyed religious sites and personal property belonging to the Shiite leader Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

The court session took place in the Kaduna amid tight security within the prison yard.

The members of Shiites movement were being imprisoned for inciting public disorder, the unlawful blockage of state and federal roads, and also the illegal possession of dangerous arms.

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The presiding judge, Auwal Aliyu, suspended the trial to March 29, 2016.

A defence lawyer Husseini Ibrahim said after the court session: “My clients were arraigned today (Wednesday) in court for the first time since they were arrested following the incidents in Zaria in December last year.”

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