Nasir el-Rufai, governor of
Kaduna state, says the N3.5 million the federal government spends every month
to feed Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN),
also covers the security around him.
Last week, Lai Mohammed, minister
of information, had said the federal government spends N3.5 million every month
to feed El-Zakzaky.
The statement had generated a
controversy, with many accusing the minister of making a false claim.
But speaking when he received the
management team of The Sun Newspaper in Kaduna on Thursday, the governor said
the amount covered the cost of feeding those around Zakzaky.
He said the Shi’ite leader was
not detained illegally but held in custody as ordered by the court.
“The N3.5 million monthly feeding
on El-Zakzaky is not only about his food, but other expenses on security men
attached to him. The security men are permanently stationed with him, they
surrounded where he is kept,” el-Rufai said.
“He is in custody because he is
facing murder charge which is not bailable, among other charges.
“As a government, we decided to
proscribe Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) of which El-Zakzaky is the
president because it is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission
(CAC). So any procession in the name of IMN is illegal, as far as Kaduna State
government is concerned.”
El-Zakzaky was arrested in 2015,
following a confrontation between his group and soldiers in the entourage of
Tukur Buratai, the chief of army staff.
Despite the bail granted to him
by different court, he has been in custody.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete