Presidency Accuses Shiites Of Deliberately Twisting Proscription Order To Gain Public Sympathy

The Presidency has accused the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as Shiites, of deliberately twisting Federal Government’s proscription of the group to gain public sympathy. 

This came after Shiites, in reaction to its ban, said it was impossible for the government to stop its members from practicing their religious faith. 

But the Presidency in reaction explained that the proscription order issued against the group has nothing to do with banning law abiding Shiites in the country from practicing their religion.

This was according to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, who said this in a statement on Sunday. 

According to Shehu, government’s ban of IMN was simply to prevent “extremists” who have taken over the group from continuing in their violent attacks and killings of innocent people. 

“The IMN is deliberately changing the narrative in order to gain sympathy and divert the attention of the world from its terrorist activities, including attacking soldiers, killing policemen and a youth corps member, destroying government ambulances and public property, consistently defying authority of the state.

“The Presidency notes that the banned organization was taken over by extremists who didn’t believe in peaceful protests and instead employed violence and arson, driving fear and undermining the rights of others and constituted authority.

“The Presidency agrees that the constitution protects freedom of worship, but not to the detriment of the society, especially where such freedom harms others, and breaks law and order.

“The Presidency insists that such criminal behavior and disregard for rights of others and human life will not be tolerated by any responsible government,” Shehu added.

Shehu further said the Presidency regretted that its efforts to make the Shiites see reason and abandon its violent protests fell into deaf ears. 

The presidential aide said, “they killed, maimed and destroyed willfully, constituting daily nuisance to workers, commuters and other innocent citizens.

“Having defied appeals to operate peacefully, and given their seeming determination to destabilize the country, the government had to act before the situation goes out of control, after admonishing many times over that people should not use religion to perpetuate lawlessness.

“We are fighting lawlessness and criminality and not pursuing a policy of discrimination against any group.

“You cannot be in court while at the same time engaging in violent protests, molesting people and inflicting pains on others, which includes taking innocent lives.”

The Shiites have been protesting the continued detention of their leader, Ibrahim El Zakzaky and his wife, by the Nigerian Government despite a court order for his release.

Zakzaky was taken into custody alongside his wife in 2015 after violent clash between members of the Islamic group and Nigerian soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna State, in 2015.