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Noah Ebije, Kaduna
There was panic yesterday in Kaduna as members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Shiites clashed with police over International Quds Day celebration.
The Shiites were said to have come out in large number and occupied Kano Road\Ahmadu Bello Way for the annual international Quds Day procession, but police reportedly fired into the air as well as discharged tear gas canister to disperse them. This, according to an eyewitness account, forced many traders in the areas to hurriedly closed shops and ran for cover. Our correspondent who visited the area noted people in the surrounding buildings watching the scenary from balconies, just as motorists rammed into one other, trying to make a detour from the troubled spots.
Three members of the Shiites were reportedly wounded in the fracas and rushed to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention. An effort to get an official statement from the police was futile as the spokesperson of Kaduna Police Command, DSP Yakubu Sabo, neither pick nor return the call. It would be recalled that the Kaduna State government has previously banned all forms of processions along major roads in the state.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Musa, IMN’s spokesperson, in a statement noted: “A large contingent of the police in battle gear had been threateningly patrolling the streets of Kaduna even before the commencement of the march.
“Hardly had the peaceful march started when the armed policemen opened fire without warning, with tear gas and live ammunition indiscriminately. This led to pandemonium on the busy streets of the central area.” They were seen thereafter mounting road blocks and emergency checkpoints and diverting traffic away from the central area. “This year’s Quds procession has been marked everywhere in the country peacefully except in Kaduna”.
Although the incident led to severe traffic gridlock, at the time of filing this report, the casualty figure or the number of those arrested remained unclear.
