Shi’ites protest as El-Zakzaky loses suit against DSS, others

Forum 1 year ago

Shi’ites protest as El-Zakzaky loses suit against DSS, others

The leader of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenah, lost their suit seeking to compel the Nigeria Immigration Service to reissue their passports.

Justice Obiora Egwuatuof the federal high court, Abuja, in a judgment, held that the couple failed to provide sufficient evidence to show that their passports were either seized, destroyed, or lost, or that the NIS was unwilling to reissue travel documents to them.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that El-Zakzaky and his wife, through their lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), sued the NIS and its Comptroller General as the first and second defendants in January 2022 for alleged refusal to issue new international passports to them.

Also joined in the suit are the National Intelligence Agency and the Department of State Services as 3rd and 4th defendants, respectively.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/22/2022, the applicants prayed the court to enforce their fundamental rights enshrined in the Nigerian constitution and the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights.

They claimed that their earlier passports were seized and apparently destroyed in 2015 when security forces invaded their home.

But counsel for the NIS, Jimoh Adamu, denied the allegations of refusal to issue new passports to the couple, saying his office was conducting investigations.

In February 2022, Adamu approached the court with a motion for a joinder, praying the court would join the NIA and DSS in the suit.

Delivering the judgment, the judge held that the applicants did not show that it was the defendants who took their passports but only averred that their passports were either destroyed or lost in 2015 when their residence was attacked by security operatives.

“This application is accordingly dismissed,” Justice Egwuatu declared.

Meanwhile, Shi’ite protesters stormed the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Thursday, asking the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to lift the travel ban on the leader of the IMN.

Speaking to our correspondent, the Secretary to the Academic Forum of the Islamic movement, Abdullahi Musa said, “There are fragments of bullets around his head and neck. Yes, around the head – from the cheekup to the head – fragments in his hands, on his thigh. He is living with some amount of those poisons in his body, including the fragments of bullets. Also, his wife has gunshot (wounds) on her stomach and her thigh. She still has one complete bullet in her body, which found its place in her pelvis and the physicians said they could not remove it here in Nigeria.

“Therefore, denying the Sheikh and his wife necessary travel documents, after their unconditional discharge and acquittal by the court, is nothing but trampling on their right to life.

“We will continue to protest until Buhari, and his Minister of Justice, Malami Abubakar, remove the travel ban on Sheikh Zakzaky and his Wife, and release their passports unconditionally,” Musa said.

He added, “The protest kick-started from the Federal High Court Abuja and marched through Shehu Shagari Expressway, to the Federal Secretariat. The protest was about to be terminated when the Police arrived and started shooting with live ammunition. Eight people sustained life-threatening gunshot injuries, two sustained fractures on their legs because of the gunshot, and one was shot on his back.”

However, when reached for comments, the Public Relations Officer of the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, said, “I have not been briefed on any protest. Until I have been briefed, I cannot comment on it.”