Police Shoot Schoolgirl During Shi’ites Protest in Abuja

Malik Yahya/

An unidentified schoolgirl was reportedly shot by policemen during a protest by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) in Wuse, Abuja today.

NewsmakersNG also learnt that two journalists, who were covering the protest, were arrested by the police.

One of the journalists was identified as Afolabi Sotunde, a reporter with Reuters.

Eyewitnesses said the girl who is a student of Government Secondary School, Wuse was shot while returning from school.

The Federal Capital Territory police spokesperson, ASP Miriam Yusuf, said 12 IMN members were arrested during the protest.

She also confirmed the arrest of the journalists but said they had been released.

She however denied that the schoolgirl was shot by the police during the incident.

She said: “We have 12 members of the proscribed IMN who participated in the illegal protest in our custody. Two journalists who were arrested were later released, but it is not true that a girl was shot.”

The sect members are demanding the release of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife who had been in custody since 2015.

0