At least eight people have been confirmed dead and many others injured following a clash between members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) also known as Shiites, and the Police in Kano city.
Eyewitness accounts say trouble broke out around Tamburawa, on the outskirts of Kano city, after the Police tried to stop the Shiite members who had embarked on the annual Arbaeen trek from Kano to Zaria.
But according to the Kano State Police Command, security operatives including anti-robbery squad units only intervened as the Shiite members began attacking motorists and passersby.
The Police Commissioner in the state, Rabiu Yusuf told journalists that one Police officer was also killed and four others injured in the incident
The incident is coming about a month after a mob confronted the members of the group while they were holding a rally also in Kano, leaving many of them with machete wounds.
The Kaduna State Government has formally declared the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) led by Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky as an unlawful society.
The government stated that the group is never a registered organisation in the state and members of the group have refused to conduct themselves with full adherence to the laws of the state.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria came to prominence when its members clashed with the Nigerian Army in the northern city of Zaria, Kaduna state, in December 2015.
A judicial inquiry in August concluded that the army killed 348 of the sect’s members, a figure that the army has disputed.
The Shiite sect’s leader has been held in custody, without charge, by Nigeria’s security agency since his December arrest following the clashes. His supporters have called for his release.
Members of the group have also held several protests demanding the release of their leader.
One of such protests the group tried to launch after their ban was announced was scuttled by security operatives in Kaduna state.
The protest showed members of the group have ignored the order banning the group and embarked on a procession to commemorate the annual Ashura festival in remembrance of Rhe Matrydon of the grand-son of Prophet Mohammed, Imam Hussein.
