A witness said that the deceased
was an IMN member.
“He was shot dead while trying to
gain access to the Unity Fountain alongside members of the sect,” the witness
said.
On Friday, the police announced a
ban on protests at the garden but IMN members assembled around the place on
Monday but were denied access.
According to an eyewitness, the
visibly enraged Shiite members were seen throwing stones and sticks an armoured
tank mobilized to the protest scene. They were several attempts by the
protesters to break into the armoured vehicle.
The Shiites members were not
moved by the teargas continuously fired by security agents to disperse them.
The protesters were said to have
stood their ground and when the police lost control of the crowd, they started
firing gunshots into the air.
A bullet fired by one of the
officers was said to have pierced the window of an office at the Nigerian
Communication Commission (NCC) headquarters.
In recent times, Shi’ites have
been converging on the Unity Fountain to demand the release of Ibrahim
El-Zakzaky, leader of the group, who has been in custody of the Department of
State Services (DSS) for over two years.
El-Zakzaky was arrested in December
2015 after some of his followers clashed with soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna state.
Over 300 people were said to have
been killed during the clash.
The group has held a series of
protests over the continued detention of El-Zakzaky.
When contacted, Anjuguri Manzah,
spokesman of the FCT police command, said he had no information on the attack.
Meanwhile, residents have been
advised to avoid major roads in Maitama and Wuse area of the Federal Capital
Territory.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayTranscorps Hilton area of Abuja in Maitama is on fire as Shiite Muslims clash violently with the police.— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) April 16, 2018
I call for restraint from both sides. pic.twitter.com/cObzfvSzZr
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