Following series of violent confrontation wit protesters of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, the Federal Government has yielded to pressure, and has begun negotiation with the sect also known as Shiites.
The National Daily reports the Shiites have been demanding the release of their detained leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky who has been held in security custody since 2015.
President Muhammadu Buhari, whose administration has refused to release the sect leader after court ruled many times, earlier said the case was no longer with him.
But according to a source within the sect, the Federal Government has issued approval to mediators drawn from members of the diplomatic corps to meet with Sheikh El-Zakzaky.
The discussion will centre on resolving the deadlock between the Muslim group and the Nigerian authorities.
“We have some negotiations going on behind the scenes through the intervention of some European countries who are interested in seeing the face-off between our group and the government resolved through dialogue,” the source told the Daily Post.
“Members of the diplomatic corps here in Abuja have been working right round the clock to make resolving this matter a possibility. We have started interacting with the government in the background.
“The government, though reluctantly, has given some of the mediators in the matter concerning our movement necessary approval to meet with Sheikh El-Zakzaky so that progress can be made.
“The government is been persuaded to see reasons to stop the persecution of Sheikh El-Zakzaky and his followers,” the source said.
There is no official statement yet.
El-Zakyzaky and His wife were arrested after the sect confronted the convoy of the COAS Tukur Buratai in 2015, resulting in a bloody cash between the army and the sect. No fewer than 300 people, including his sons, were said to have been killed.