#TrackNigeria The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja on Monday 22nd July 2019 was thrown into chaos as the members of the Islamic movement of Nigeria (IMN) popularly known as the Shiite clashed with the police.
The clash which took place at the Federal Secretariat Abuja, led to the preventable death of 10 members of the group, a corps member serving with the channels television and the deputy commissioner of police in charge of FCT.
Bearing in mind the nature of the clash and the approach with which the police engaged the situation, the Civil Rights Council sees the need to fuse voice with other well-meaning Nigerians to condemn in totality the reckless engagement of the Islamic group by men of the Nigeria police leading to loss of lives. The reoccurring of this kind of situation is becoming an issue of concern to all.
While we do not in support any act violence by the sect or any organization, the incident that led to the use of firearms by the police force on the unarmed protesters in Abuja on Monday, is totally uncalled for.
The incident could have been averted if the police had acted more professionally while dealing with the Shiite group rather than engaging them in sporadic shootings that resulted in the killing of innocent Nigerians.
The Shiite group as usual came out in their hundreds in protest the continued detention of their leader Ibrahim El-Zakzaky who was arrested and detained since December 2015.
The group has since then been relentless in the campaign for the release of its detained leader and in decrying what is believed to be an unwarranted persecution of its members.
We therefore, call on the President Muhammadu Buhari led-government to yield to the court order that grants bail to the detained Islamic religious leader.
The death of Precious Owolabi, the DCP and other Nigerians would have been averted if only the court order to grant bail was adhered to.
We also call on the Nigerian police to apply professionalism in dealing with civil disobedience.
We call on the government to be more proactive and responsible in addressing the needs of all citizens especially when it comes to protecting lives and properties.
