Nigerian Shi’ites, under the aegis of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), late Friday told the Federal Government to release their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife from detention in obedience of the judgement, earlier in the day, of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

A statement by IMN Spokesman, Mallam Ibrahim Musa, said: “The Islamic Movement in Nigeria welcome this historic judgment that has vindicated our earlier stand that the continued detention of our leader is an infringement on his fundamental human rights as guaranteed by the constitution.”

While not being “unmindful of the penchant of this government to disregard court orders on spurious excuses,” IMN called on the Federal Government “to respect the rule of law and obey the court order of the federal High court in Abuja.”

Continuing, the statement said: “We believe obedience to this court order will be a strong indication from the Federal Government of its intent to do justice to the Zaria pogrom of December 12, 2015.

“It should not listen to the hawks in government who are bent on executing a foreign sectarian agenda against the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. We wish to assure the general public and the international community of our determination not to be intimidated to take the path of violence, as our detractors would want us to.

“Our leader, Sheikh Zakzaky, has been a man of peace for almost four decades as Islam preaches, and we will not deviate from that path. As we thank all the good people of Nigeria and human right activists here in Nigeria and beyond that have stood by us in our demand for justice, we wish to call on them to prevail on the federal government to release Sheikh Zakzaky, his wife and others in detention without further delay.”

News Express reports that in his judgment, Justice Gabriel Kolawole rejected the submission of the counsel to the Directorate of State Services (DSS), Tijjani Gazali, that Sheikh Zakzaky was being kept in protective custody of the DSS. Justice Kolawole said the DSS action was not based on law.

He gave the government 45 days to release the applicant and his family to the police, ‘who shall within 24 hours take them, guarded by escorts, to a safe place of his choice in Kaduna State.”

Justice Kolawole further ordered DSS to pay a fine of N25 million each to Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife, making N50 million.

•Photo shows Sheikh Zakzaky.

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