There is a division in the Islamic Movement in Nigerian, IMN, otherwise referred to as Shi’ite, as Suhaila Zakzaky, daughter of the leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, opposed the suspension of protests by the group.
In press statement issued on Wednesday, the president of the media forum of IMN, Ibrahim Musa, announced that the group had resolved to suspend the protests for the release of their leader.
He said the decision was based on a new opening in finding solution to the protracted conflict over the continued detention of its leader.
He added that the decision to stop the protest was, among other things too, to respect prominent Nigerians whose intervention, the group considered genuine.
But in a video released on Wednesday, El-Zakzaky’s daughter pooh-poohed the statement by Musa, as she argued that he could not speak for IMN.
She declared the decision to suspend the protests as unacceptable as she vowed that the group would continue its actions.
Her words: “Even as I speak right now, earlier today, there was a protest in Abuja and there will be tomorrow.
“And there will continue to be on every weekday. I just wanted to clarify because I saw news agencies stating that spokesperson of this movement released the statement.
“First of all, the Islamic movement has no such thing as a spokesman. And the person who wrote this article (is) the chairman of the media forum; the media forum, just like the numerous forums we have in the Islamic movement, is just a forum that is there for people within that field to have their own space and activities within the Islamic movement.”
She added: “This person (Musa) has nothing to do with the people organising this protest that have been going on in Abuja and will continue to go on till El-Zakzaky is freed.”
It would be recalled that following the violent protests by members of IMN, leading to loss of lives and property, the Federal Government secured an order of the court declaring the group proscribed.
The Federal Government has since made the proscription of the group official.
