Femi Falana, counsel to the detained leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Ibraheem El-Zakzaky on Tuesday at a court hearing said his client has lost one eye and is in need of urgent attention.

He also said bullets in the body of the equally detained wife of the Islamic cleric were yet to be removed.

The trial of Mr Zakzaky and his wife Zeenatuddeen held briefly Tuesday at a Kaduna high court before it was adjourned to March 25.

Mr Zakzaky is currently facing trial over allegations of unlawful assembly, disruption of public peace and culpable homicide filed against him by Kaduna State government.

The IMN leader has been in detention since December 2015 after his members clashed with the military in Zaria.

The Nigerian government has refused to release him despite several court rulings granting him bail.

“We, therefore, pray the court allows them to remain alive so as to stand trial since they are ready for the trial,” Mr Falana added.

He also said the duo can be flown abroad if there are no medical facilities to cater for them.

“In the case of malam (Zakzaky), he has lost an eye in detention because and is in the process of losing the second eye because he has developed glaucoma. In the case of the wife, the bullets on her have not been ‘totally’ extracted after three years and she suffers excruciating pains,” Mr Falana said.

On whether his client and his wife will remain in the custody of the DSS, Mr Falana said:‎ “both the government doctors and their private doctors have to sit to agree on the kind of medical treatment required to treat them. We made it clear to them (government) that they (duo) have to be alive to stand trial,”

The case was later adjourned to March 25 to enable the embattled Shiite leader and his wife get medical attention according to Mr Falana.

•Sourced from a Vanguard report

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