IMN blows hot over police labelling of Shi’ites as terrorists

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has lambasted the Nigeria Police
for describing Shiites as terrorists.

IMN spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, in a statement on Thursday said Force
Spokesman, DCP Jimoh Moshood, in his statement on security operatives'
recent face-off with Shi'ites, made every effort to demonize the
movement.

Musa warned the Police to stop linking the body to terrorism, noting
that the philosophy and ideology of Shia abhor bloodshed.

"This justifies why there is no single Shia group that is in any way
linked to terrorism across the world and we are not an exception.
Terrorism is not in our character and will never be", he said.

"You may recall a statement issued by the movement on the 29th of
October 2018, we made it categorically clear that there is a plot use
the Arbaeen to intimidate and implicate the movement.

"It has come to our notice that Nigerian security apparatus has
commissioned its men and paid agents to massively infiltrate the
Arbaeen procession scheduled to hold in Abuja in the coming days to
induce violence with the view to smearing the movement in the eyes of
the world once and for all" the statement declared.

"The Islamic Movement in Nigeria hereby dissociates itself from the
deliberate mischief and narration of impounding petrol bombs and
burning police vehicle. This is the plot of the security agents and
those instructing them from behind the scene in order to blackmail the
movement.

"We wish to remind the Nigeria Police that we as Nigerians have the
constitutional right to practice our religion or belief, assemble,
express ourselves and protest as enshrined in Article 38 of The
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Freedom of Religion
and cannot, therefore, be denied with the scare of mischievously
placing the movement on RED ALERT.

"We hereby call on the general public not to be deceived by the false
allegations and executive lies being spread with the intention of
blackmailing the peaceful movement and depicting it as violent even
without any traces of violence in its almost 40 years of existence."

On Tuesday, the FCT Police Command announced the arrest of some IMN
members with 31 bottles of petrol bomb and other dangerous weapons
being allegedly ferried into Abuja.

The command said the members' plot was to attack innocent citizens,
including law enforcement agents deployed to protect lives and
property.