Nigerian Shiites “plan” Friday protest after soldiers “killed 500 of our members”
Unconfirmed reports say Nigerian Islamic Shiites are planning a massive protest this Friday after the Nigerian Army killed many of their members.
Ibrahim Musa, a spokesperson for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, as the Shiites are officially known, said the soldiers killed at least 500 of their members.
The reported killings took place in Zaria, Kaduna State, on Saturday and Sunday after the military accused Shiites of attempting to assassinate Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Burutai.
Nigerian soldiers, had on Saturday opened fired on a Shiite procession which blocked a major highway and refused passage to Burutai’s convoy.
Soldiers later laid siege to Shiites bases killing many, reports say.
WATCH: Video shows Shiites confrontation with Nigerian Army. The Shiites simply refused to get out of the way, the footage suggests
The Army also destroyed the house of Shiite leader, Ibraheem Zakzaky.
The leader was reportedly shot four times but is said to be alive, and in the Army’s custody.
Zakzaky’s deputy Muhammad Turi, and the group’s national spokesman Ibrahim Usman, were reportedly killed in a siege on Sunday morning.
Shiite Islam is not popular in Nigeria where most Muslims follow Sunni beliefs.
READ: How Nigerian soldiers killed “unarmed Shiites in Zaria
In far away Iran where Shiites hold sway, many Muslims have poured on the streets to demand Zakzaky’s release. Some reportedly burned the Nigerian flag.
Reports say Nigerian Shiites will hold a massive protest this Friday to make the same demands.
The protest would likely be staged in Zaria, Kaduna State, which has been the headquarters of the Shiite movement in Nigeria.
We have not been able to independently verify the report.
