This archive report was first published on 28 July 2019.
Violence flared on Monday during a march by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) to demand the release of jailed pro-Iranian leader Ibrahim Zakzaky, resulting in the deaths of at least six protesters, a trainee journalist, and a senior police officer.
On Saturday, Punch newspaper reported that a court in Abuja had granted an order permitting the government to label the IMN's activities 'terrorism and illegality.'
The authorities must publish the order in the state gazette and two newspapers for it to come into force.
At a news conference in Abuja on Sunday, senior IMN official Yahiya Dahiru condemned the move as a 'dangerous development.'
'You can never stop an ideology, you can never stop an idea, you can never stop our religion,' he said, insisting protests would not stop until Zakzaky was freed.
Published on July 28, 2019, the court order is the latest development in a long-standing dispute between the IMN and the Nigerian government.
Since December 2015, Zakzaky has been detained after violence during a religious procession, with rights groups saying some 350 mostly unarmed Shiite marchers were killed by the Nigerian army.
As concerns rise over Zakzaky's health, the IMN has been holding almost daily marches in the capital, resulting in repeated clashes with security forces.
On October 2019, the IMN and human rights groups said more than 40 people were killed when the security forces opened fire.
The Nigerian police have vowed to crack down on 'violent protests' by the group, with a heavy security presence visible across the capital city.
Despite a federal high court ordering Zakzaky's release in 2016, the government has refused and filed fresh criminal charges, including culpable homicide punishable by death.
