Marking this year’s Arbaeen Day from August 25 to 26 is meant to be a peaceful religious event for the millions of Muslims who observe it all over the world but yesterday, at the Federal Capital Territory, it got bloody when a Shi’ite procession clashed with a Nigeria Police Force unit who claimed they had to defend against Molotov cocktail and other types of improvised explosives.

Shi’ia Islam holds divergent views in contrast to the Sunni variant and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), which has maintained strong ties with Iran, a nation dominated by Shi’ites, often enters confrontation with security agents possibly because of the unique ideas the group nurtures.

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When the Shi’ites had their latest encounter with a police formation and the casualties numbered up to five officers, the goal wasn’t to promote any undemocratic system of governance in Nigeria – instead, it was to practice peace even though the F.C.T Command disagreed, in an afternoon press statement the day of the incident.

The FCT police command wishes to confirm an unprovoked attack by the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly known as the ‘Shi’ite’ group, on some personnel of the Nigeria Police Force attached to FCT command at Wuse Junction by [the] traffic light, where two (2) police personnel were killed, three left unconscious in the hospital, and three (3) Police patrol vehicles set ablaze.

According to F.C.T Command spokesperson SP Josephine Adeh, who published the release, the proscribed organisation attacked the police checkpoint unprovoked, wielding machetes, improvised explosive devices (locally made bombs in bottles with kerosene), and knives.

By mid-afternoon when the press information was published, the intense situation had subsided and allowed for informing the public about disruptions in their afternoon.

The other side

It was a different view when the Islamic Movement of Nigeria was briefing the same public about the clash. Before the incident with five police victims in Wuse, members of the group already made stops in locations such as Masaka in Nassarawa State and Zuba in Abuja.

All was geared at replicating an 80km Arbaeen walk symbolising a pilgrimage to mark Imam Husayn ibn Ali’s martyrdom. The ritual happens from August 25 to 26 this year, after a 40-day mourning period that began with Ashura, meaning grief for Shi’ia Muslims.

Husayn ibn Ali represents an image of social justice and upright personality to the Shi’ites and Sheikh Sidi Sokoto of the IMN, alongside leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, emphasised this in their statement countering that of the police.

The movement’s cry read like this: We wish to inform the public that the police have attacked the ongoing Arba’een symbolic trek at Wuse District in Abuja and killed numerous mourners. While trying to disperse the Arbaeen trek, the police killed and injured numerous mourners.

Presently, security agents are busy arresting the Arbaeen trek mourners. Medical practitioners are attending to those critically injured, and details of those killed, injured, and arrested will be made available to members of the press in due course.

Before the commencement of the trek, we had searched all participants to ensure no infiltration, and [that] the programme would end as scheduled. The Arbeen trek that was conducted yesterday at [the] Masaka and Zuba axis ended peacefully and successfully.

It would seem that the Islamic Movement of Nigeria and its members would perpetually find themselves clashing with the authorities. Their leader Sheikh El-Zakzaky has a long history of arriving at this conclusion with the rewards being several incarcerations, starting from the early 1980s.

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His latest loss of freedom wasn’t total imprisonment but only detention following his arrest with his wife Malama Zeenah Ibraheem on December 12, 2015. This was shortly after members of the IMN crossed paths with the Nigerian Army who reportedly killed more than 300 of them in Zaria, Kaduna State.

After five years of their detention, the Sheikh and his wife gained freedom when a High Court declared that they were guiltless in an eight-count charge covering not only culpable homicide, disruption of public peace and unlawful assembly, but other offences as well.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.