According to a government intelligence report seen by AFP, 11 protesters and one soldier were killed in the clash at the demonstration against Israel amid the Gaza war that was sparked by the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.
The protest was held Friday in Abuja by the Iran-linked Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN). Supporters of the banned Shiite movement had gathered for International Quds Day — the last Friday of Ramadan, when rallies are held across the Muslim world in support of Palestinians.
Amnesty International’s Nigeria branch said soldiers fired live rounds at protesters as a form of crowd control — events the military disputed.
“The protesters threw decorum to the wind, became outrageously violent by firing at and attempting to overrun security operatives deployed at anticipated flash points,” Nigerian army spokesman Major General Onyema Nwachukwu told AFP.
“Sadly, in the exchange of fire that ensued as the troops defended themselves, one soldier was killed in action while two were wounded.”
The IMN has been outlawed by Nigerian authorities for advocating an Islamic revolution in the West African nation. However, at the time of its banning, in 2019, researchers characterized it as more interested in protest than political violence.
In August, an attack by IMN members killed two law enforcement officers, police said.
Disputed events
After Friday’s protest, the IMN said on social media that the Nigerian Army “attacked the procession and several people sustained gunshot injuries,” without giving a toll.
The intelligence report said 19 people were injured and 295 others arrested. A soldier was also injured.
Sharing a video of an arrested protester being hit by security forces, Amnesty International Nigeria described the protesters as “perfectly within their rights to hold a religious procession,” adding: “There was no evidence they posed an imminent threat to life.”
It also accused the military of a history of “extrajudicial executions” against the group.
The intelligence report described the waving of flags at the protest as undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty.
In July 2021, after more than five years in prison, IMN leader Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife were released by a court in Kaduna, in the north of the country.
A Shiite cleric, Zakzaky has repeatedly called for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution in Nigeria, where the Muslim population is predominantly Sunni.
Inspired by the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the late 1970s, the IMN still maintains close ties with the Iranian government, which backs Hamas and is sworn to destroy Israel.
After Friday’s protest, the IMN said on social media that the Nigerian Army “attacked the procession and several people sustained gunshot injuries,” without giving a toll.
The intelligence report said 19 people were injured and 295 others arrested. A soldier was also injured.
Sharing a video of an arrested protester being hit by security forces, Amnesty International Nigeria described the protesters as “perfectly within their rights to hold a religious procession,” adding: “There was no evidence they posed an imminent threat to life.”
It also accused the military of a history of “extrajudicial executions” against the group.
The intelligence report described the waving of flags at the protest as undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty.
In July 2021, after more than five years in prison, IMN leader Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife were released by a court in Kaduna, in the north of the country.
A Shiite cleric, Zakzaky has repeatedly called for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution in Nigeria, where the Muslim population is predominantly Sunni.
Inspired by the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the late 1970s, the IMN still maintains close ties with the Iranian government, which backs Hamas and is sworn to destroy Israel.
