Nothing Must Happen To El-Zakzaky, Shiites Warn Buhari After Kaduna Prison Unrest

Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the safety of their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, following a riot at Kaduna Prison by inmates on Tuesday.

The movement handed down the warning in a statement by Secretary of the Academic Forum of the movement, Abdullahi Muhammad Musa.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that inmates at the prison attempted a jailbreak after riot broke out over the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The inmates, who feared that they could contract the deadly virus going by the poor ventilation and lack of protective items in the facility, mobilised in large numbers on Tuesday morning in an attempt to break free from the correctional centre.

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Security personnel fired several gunshots around the facility to scare the inmates and bring the situation under control.

One person was feared to have been killed during the chaos while several prison officials, who sustained injuries, were rushed to a teaching hospital in city for urgent medical attention.

Reacting to the development, the IMN said, “Reliable information reaching us revealed that there is ongoing unrest in Kaduna Prison that started in the early hours of Tuesday, 31 March, 2020 over suspected cases of COVID-19.

“The incident led to chaos and government is presently deploying more armed security men to the prison.

“It is pertinent to state that his eminence, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife Malama Zeenah Ibraheem, are being detained in the same Kaduna Prison.

“We are rightly concerned about these developments and strongly call on all relevant authorities to ensure that the security and safety of the sheikh and his wife are guaranteed.

“We would hold the government responsible for any harm to them.

“It is the responsibility of government to protect all inmates in such homes, especially with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world.”

The group called on the international community to help secure the release of their leader and his wife before they are infected with the virus.