NIGERIA
The Long Road
Nigeria’s National Assembly was placed on lockdown Tuesday after clashes between police and a group of Shia Muslim protesters who tried to force their way into the building to present their grievances to the legislators.
Police used teargas to try to disperse the protesters, then gunfire broke out, with each side blaming the other for the alleged exchange, Al Jazeera reported.
The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a group that represents Nigeria’s minority Shia Muslims, regularly protests outside the legislature in the capital, Abuja, the news channel noted. Their leader, Ibrahim el-Zakzaky, has been in detention since 2015.
This time, however, participants claim the police began shooting, while the authorities say two officers were shot and wounded in the legs. Protesters denied that any of their number returned fire – which would be a first for the mostly peaceful demonstrations.
Nigerian security forces have killed some 400 members of the group in response to largely peaceful protests since 2015, according to human rights groups.
No comments:
Post a Comment