Crime Africa

Five dead as Islamic protesters clash with military, police

Nigerian police said on Saturday they had come under intense gunfire a day earlier in a neighbourhood of the capital, Abuja, during clashes between security forces and Shi’ite Muslim protesters that led to several reported deaths.

On Friday, dozens of the group’s members marched in solidarity with Palestine, but violence broke out when they clashed with soldiers and police.

Critics say Nigerian security forces have increasingly resorted to using force, including live ammunition, to quell protests, and that this could radicalise groups like IMN.

Police in a statement on Saturday accused the protesters of “a violent assault” on security personnel armed with firearms and other lethal weapons in Abuja’s Wuse 2 neighbourhood.

One member of the security forces had died and 19 suspects had been arrested, he said.

Sidi Munir Sokoto, a senior IMN member blamed the military for the violence, saying the protest was peaceful. He put the death toll at five.

An army spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Isa Sanusi, head of Amnesty International Nigeria, called for an impartial investigation.

“The army used live ammunition on the protesters. It appears they approach IMN protesters always with the intent to kill,” Sanusi told Reuters, also putting the death toll at five.

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