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Shi’ites sue FG N2bn for shooting of Zakzaky, wife

Published

8 years ago

April 14, 2016

'I was kept in a big house, well furnished', El-Zakyzaky describes his detention facility

In from Ahmed Boulor…

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as Shi’ites has instituted N2 billion suit against the federal government and its other institutions through its counsel for the abuse of its leader El Zazaky who has lost his left eye while his left hand is partially paralysed.

Counsel to IMN, Mr. Festus Okoye at a news conference said El-Zakzaky, who is being detained at the Headquarters of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Abuja could hardly be recognised when they met him in detention.

Mr. Okoye said El-Zazzaky has lost his left eye while his left hand is partially paralysed and now walks with the assistance of limps, “El-Zakzaky has become a complete shadow of himself after the clash with the Nigerian Army in Zaria on December 12, 2015,” Okoye added.

Continuing, Okoye said El-Zakzaky was looking quite frail and completely different from whom he used to be before he was fatally shot along with his wife and later arrested by the army in the wake of the bloody clash which left several members of the movement dead.

“He lost his left eye and he struggled to recognise us because of the damage done to him by the army. His left hand completely lost its motion function. The wife was shot thrice. I must say they are not in a good state of health. Several operations had been carried out on them, especially the leader the IMN,” said Maxwell Kyon, one of the lawyers who visited El-Zazzaky in detention.

Dismissing claims that the Shiite leader was flown to France for medical treatment by the federal government, Mr. Okoye said all the operations on the Shiite leader and his wife were carried out in an undisclosed hospital in Lagos and the Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna.

He also revealed that during the meeting with the Shi’ites leader in detention, El-Zakzaky implored his legal team to institute a case at a regular court against the Nigerian army and the Kaduna State Government over the deadly clash as well as his continued detention at the DSS headquarters.

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