Why has Nigeria banned the main Shia Muslim group?
Nigeria’s government has labelled the Islamic Movement of Nigeria a ‘terrorist’ organisation.
The Nigerian government has banned a Shia Muslim group after a spate of deadly clashes at protests in the capital Abuja, and following a court decision allowing authorities to call it a “terrorist” organisation.
Ibrahim el-Zakzay, leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), has been in jail since 2015, when 350 of his followers were killed in confrontations with security forces.
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More IMN supporters were killed in protests last week while demanding his release.
Observers say the government is handling the group in a similar way to Boko Haram, which turned violent a decade ago when its leader died in police custody.
Could the latest crackdown provoke a new conflict?
Presenter: Martine Dennis
Guests:
Ibrahim Musa – President of the media forum, Islamic Movement in Nigeria
Matthew Page – Associate fellow, Africa Programme, Chatham House
Anietie Ewang – Nigeria researcher, Human Rights Watch
Ini Dele-Adedeji – Research associate, University of York
Published On 30 Jul 2019