Commuters stranded as soldiers, Shiites clash in Abuja, 6 feared dead

Six people have been shot dead as members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) clashed with security agents at the Gwarinpa gate near Galadimawa in Abuja on Tuesday.

The IMN members also known as ‘Shiites ‘were about to round off their Arbaeen Symbolic Trek when joint security agents opened fire on them.

It learned that two Shiite members were shot by security operatives around a new generation bank along 3rd Avenue in Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja.

The incident threw the trek into confusion as people scampered for safety.

The Secretary of Academic Forum of IMN, Abdullahi Musa has since confirmed

“They are just shooting people. As I am talking to you now, six people have been killed. They even carried some dead bodies away,” he said.

Members of the sect had on Tuesday morning come out in continuation of their procession to mark the fortieth day of the murder of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad.

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The Shiites were said to be on an annual symbolic trek.

An attempt to prevent the IMN members from gaining entry to the FCT metropolis left many commuters trying to get to their workplaces stranded because of a blockade set up by the army.

The source said some Shiite female occupants of a vehicle headed for the city centre were reportedly assaulted by some soldiers after they recognised them.

They were later put in a van and whisked away to an unknown destination.

Also, some passersby were not spared of the harassment by the soldiers.

In July, a Kaduna high court discharged and acquitted Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, IMN leader, who spent about seven years in detention.

El-Zakzaky was arrested after some of his followers clashed with soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna, in 2015.

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