By Muhammad Mustapha
In a display of brutality, Nigerian Police Forces have continued to clamp down on Nigerian Shiites also known as activists of the Islamic Movement, arresting seriously injured patients from their hospital beds today in various locations within and outside Abuja where they were receiving treatments from gunshots sustained by the Police brutality.
This latest atrocity occurred today at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, FCT Abuja.
The arrests are part of a larger pattern of violence and intimidation perpetrated by the Nigerian Police Forces against supporters of the Islamic Movement, who gathered in Abuja to commemorate the Arba’een (40th Day of the Martyrdom of the grandson of the Prophet of Islam – Imam Husain who was killed 1,400 years ago by Yazid bn Muawiya in Karbala – Iraq)
A statement signed by Sheikh Rabiu Abdullahi said, “On August 25, 2024, a combined team of security forces attacked a guest house in Suleja town, Niger State, arresting dozens of innocent civilians and denying them access to their families and lawyers.”
The Shiites who condemned the police’s actions, dismissing their claims that the organization is proscribed, saying, “The Islamic Movement is a concept, an ideology, and a philosophy that cannot be banned.”
“We demand the unconditional release of all those arrested and call on relevant authorities to hold the Nigerian Police Forces accountable for their actions,” the statement said.
Human rights organizations and concerned citizens are urged to take action, demanding that the Nigerian government reign in the rogue police force and uphold the rule of law.
The international community must also take notice of these egregious violations of human rights and demand justice for the victims of police brutality.