El-Zakzaky, Wife Arrive Nigeria

The embattled Leader of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat have returned to Nigeria.

They arrived aboard an Ethiopian airline plane on Friday morning from India where they had gone for medical treatment.

Their hasty return to Nigeria, according to spokesman of the IMN, Ibrahim Musa, follows their inability to resolve the impasse that ensured in their treatment with doctors at Medanta Hospital, New Delhi, India.

They had spent only four days there.

According to reports, the team was, however, denied access to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Terminal by aviation security officials on the ground.

Recall that El-Zakzaky and his wife left Nigeria on Monday for India following a ruling of the Kaduna State High Court which granted them permission to be treated in the country.

On their arrival at the hospital where treatment was expected to commence, the trip turned controversial.

The IMN accused the Nigerian government of treating their leader like a criminal and denying him access to the doctor with whom they had an arrangement.

They also claimed that El-Zakzaky was denied free movement and was monitored by heavy security surveillance in India.

Recall also that El-Zakzaky had also narrated his ordeal in the foreign country, saying the condition in India was worse than that of Nigeria.

“We saw that we were practically brought to another detention facility which is even stricter than the one we were in back in Nigeria. They came here with police armed with guns and a lot of staff from the Nigerian embassy. And we also noticed we were brought into another detention that we only came based on trust.

“Even in Nigeria, they agreed where we were detained that we would be treated only by the doctors we choose and are comfortable with allowing to treat us. But here we understand that the doctors that advised us to come here are blocked from having any say in our case,” the IMN leader had said.

But in a quick response, the Nigerian Government had denied the allegations by the IMN and its leader.

Instead, the government accused the Shiite leader of becoming unruly at the hospital in New Delhi and apologised to the Indian authorities.

It insisted that the allegations were “foul cry”, saying claims that El-Zakzaky was held in circumstances worse than he was in Nigeria should be disregarded.

The government said the IMN leader was allowed to embark on the trip with state officials in line with the court order and his choice to be accompanied by his aides and personal doctors were not opposed.

It added that the IMN leader chose the hospital where he was admitted in India, but he began to display “ulterior motives” against laid down procedures.