Shi’ites protests: Day of teargas, stones, sticks, defiance in Abuja

There was pandemonium in Abuja on Monday as members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) protested the continued incarceration of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
People ran helter skelter as the Shi’ite members demanded the immediate release of their leader.
Transcorp Hilton Hotel area and adjoining street became theatres of war and policemen, using Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), engaged the protesters in a show of strength.
The protesters were defiant as they engaged the anti-riot policemen. Some of them climbed the APC, hitting it with sticks. Stones were also freely used.
Soldiers and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) later joined the policemen to disperse the protesters.
The security operatives later took over the Unity Fountain and its surroundings.
A witness, Bola Adeniran, said that trouble started when the IMN members were refused entry by the operatives, into the Unity Fountain where they normally sit-out to demand the release of their leader.
El-Zakzaky disciples have been staging protests in parts of the country to demand the release of the cleric.