Court remands Zakzaky in Prison for conspiracy

Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, the leader of the Shi’ite Islamic group in Nigeria, has been charged with criminal conspiracy and inciting public disturbances by the Chief Magistrate Court, Kaduna.

It was learnt El-Zakzaky, was arraigned with some of his adherents by the police, and was subsequently remanded in prison custody.

He had early this month commissioned a protest that blocked the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai and his convoy from passing. The convoy, as a result, disembarked from their vehicle and pleaded to leave the road, refused and instead were brandishing cutlasses and other offensive weapons.

It later degenerated into shoot out culminating into several causalities.

Olabisi Kolawole, the Force Public Relations Officer, said on Tuesday that the Shi’ite leader was facing prosecution for incitement and public disturbances among other charges.

“The Shi’ite leader has been arraigned in court where he was charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbances among others; he has been remanded in prison custody and the case adjourned,” she said.

El-Zakzaky was later taken into custody by the army for police to investigate the case. The army had accused the Shi’ite group of attempting to assassinate Tukur Buratai, the chief of army staff, but the Islamic movement said the soldiers simply attacked “defenseless people.”

In retaliation,  the army allegedly rolled out armoured tanks and demolished the Hussainiyya shrine and the residence of the leader of the sect in Zaria.