Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, the detained Leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (Shiites), has suffered stroke in custody, his followers said.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Prof. Abdullahi Danladi of the IMN Resource Forum, also talked of the recent spate of the renewed campaign to secure freedom for the ailing Sheikh to enable him obtain treatment where appropriate.

He condemned “the police brutality that followed the renewed wave of the free Zakzaky protests, that led to the death of at least two people and wounding several others as well as the arrest of hundreds of others especially in Kaduna and Abuja.”

Prof. Danladi said: “Following a rare visit to our Leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky by some family members, it was discovered that the health situation of the Sheikh has taken a nosedive for the worse. He had suffered what turned out to be a stroke but the authorities illegally detaining him had kept a blind eye to his dire situation.

“It emerged that his health condition suffered severe knocks in the past week, such that he was critically ill and was in urgent need of the best medical attention possible, but the Buhari administration is negligent about it. He was found to have slurred speech, weakness of the right side of his upper and lower limbs and general weakness and consequently has been unable to walk or even stand for the past one week. The Sheikh is also known to be hypertensive for more than 10 years. His treatment in detention generally has been suboptimal.

“The 67-year-old was severally shot at close range during the murderous attack on his home by the military in December, 2015. In the process, the Sheikh lost his left eye and is on the verge of losing the right eye sequel to that brutal treatment meted out to him by the armed soldiers, which was made worse by the State Security Service denying him adequate treatment or the foreign medical treatment recommended by the local specialist who was officially brought by them to attend to him. Even the alternative arrangement put in place by the family of the Sheikh to bring eye specialists from either within or abroad to treat him in custody has equally been rejected without any justification. To say that we are agitated by the latest development is to say the least a gross understatement.

“We are deeply concerned and disenchanted by the attitude of this administration towards our peaceful protests and demands that the Sheikh and his wife be released as ordered by a federal High court in Abuja. The Court has affirmed the Sheikh’s fundamental right to personal liberty guaranteed by Section 35 of the Constitution and Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and People Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A10) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

“As we focus our attention on the deteriorating health of Sheikh Zakzaky, we are not oblivious of the medical condition of his wife, Malama Zeenah Ibraheem also. For reasons best known to the State Security Service, some of the bullets lodged in her body during the brutal attack of December 14, 2015, have not been extracted up till now. In the circumstances, she has been subjected to excruciating pain and agony, on a daily basis. Her life which is currently in danger may be saved and prolonged if she is allowed to receive adequate medical attention without any further delay.

“We therefore, urge Mr. Buhari to release the couple and allow them to seek proper medical attention. To this end, we have started a series of peaceful protests across the country, to demand an immediate and unconditional release of our leader and his wife to enable them get the proper medical attention they deserve. Since the start of these peaceful protests last Sunday 07/01/18, armed policemen have in a number of places heavily descended on the peaceful protesters killing two in Kaduna, injuring several others and arresting hundreds in both Abuja and Kaduna. We condemn in the strongest terms these barbaric acts by the Police on peaceful protesters who are rightly calling for the freedom of the Sheikh in the most peaceful of ways.

“We are strongly appealing to people of conscience, human rights organisations, activists and the international community to prevail upon this administration to tread the path of justice and pave way for our Leader to go and look after his health properly.”

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