Hours After Police Killed One Member, Court Suspends The Trial Of IMN Leader, El-Zakzaky

A High Court sitting in Kaduna State has again adjourned the trial of the embattled leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, to May 25, 2021, for the continuation for the hearing of the case.

This is coming hours after one Nigerian identified as Muhsin Abdallah was killed on Tuesday when the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command dispersed protesting members of the Islamic Movement at Maitama, Abuja.

FCT Police Command was however silent over the incident even as the sect alleged that the deceased died by stray bullets shot by the police operatives while others sustained injuries.

The spokesperson of IMN, Ibrahim Musa, alleged that “the police fired at the Shi’ites procession killing Muhsin Abdallah and injuring scores of others.”

The group were demanding for the released of their detained leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife, in a protest at the FCT when the incident happened.

In a video shared by an online medium, Sahara Reporters, the Nigerian Police operatives were seen shooting at the protesters.

READ ALSO: El-Zakzaky, Wife Trials Resume Today

However, the FCT Police Command said it dispersed the procession by members of the proscribed IMN after a violent protest in the Maitama area of the country’s capital.

But during the sitting of the leader in question on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, the prosecuting counsel, Dari Bayero, finally rested his case by presenting his last witness.

He also prayed to the court to overrule the no-case submission by the defense counsel and to go on and convict the defendants as provided in the law.

This brought the total number of witnesses the prosecution has called to 15.

Counsel to El-Zakzaky, Abubakar Marshal, who represented the lead counsel, Mr. Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is expected to open his defense during the next adjourned date.

However, the defense counsel told journalists that he will be entering a no-case submission for the defendants, he added that no criminal case that has so far been established against the defendants by the Kaduna state government.

The cleric and his wife are standing trial on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of the public peace, among others.

Among the witnesses who testified against the IMN leader included two army officers, a retired doctor of state security service, police officers and a medical doctor. They all testified before the court.

On September 29, 2020, the charges were first read to the IMN Leader and his wife, they pleaded not guilty.

In summary, the IMN leader and his wife has been in detention since their arrest in December 2015. They were arrested after a bloody clash between the IMN members and soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna State.