El-Zakzaky: Anti-IMN protesters take over NASS

Commercial activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja were Tuesday halted momentarily following a protest against the menace of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (INM).

The protest, which was championed by the Concerned Women/Africa Arise for Change Network was attended by angry Nigerians, who insisted the activities of INM have political undertones.

The large crowd took off at the Unity Fountain and terminated the protest at the National Assembly complex.

Speaking during the rally, convener of the group, Princess Ajibola called on the National Assembly to pass a resolution, compelling the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to file a suit for the court to declare IMN a terrorist organisation so that law enforcement agencies can better respond to the threat it poses to the country.

She said, “Concerned Nigerians Women and the Africa Arise for Change Network are staging this rally today in order to put it on record that we are not in any way part of the conspiracy of silence in the glaring threat now posed to the country by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).

“Nigerians and the entire world were last week treated to the macabre spectacle of IMN members invading the National Assembly, the most important site for our democracy. While every Nigerian has the right to protest to the National Assembly, the intention of the IMN militants was very obvious because they were there to sack the parliament as demonstrated by their attack on the policemen on duty.”

She said: “IMN attacks on members of the public and security operatives were not new. Killing law enforcement officers was also not new to them. What however became alarming in this instance was the sheer intensity of the attack during which they shot several policemen in addition to wounding others with catapults and cudgels.

“This is why we are dismayed at the discovery that disgruntled and defeated political actors were the ones that sponsored factions within the IMN to carry out the attack. It has been revealed that associates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Atikulooters are behind the recent wave of coordinated protests across Nigerian cities by the IMN. We gathered that the objective is for the IMN extremists to sack the government so that the opposition can exploit the ensuing confusion to demand for the installation of an interim government.”

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