Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria have called on
President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the safety of their leader,
Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, following a riot at Kaduna Prison by inmates on
Tuesday. The movement handed down the warning in a statement by Secretary of the Academic Forum of the movement, Abdullahi Muhammad Musa. SaharaReporters had earlier reported that inmates at the prison
attempted a jailbreak after riot broke out over the Coronavirus pandemic
in the country. The inmates, who feared that they could contract the deadly virus
going by the poor ventilation and lack of protective items in the
facility, mobilized in large numbers on Tuesday morning in an attempt to
break free from the correctional centre. Reacting to the development, the IMN said,
“Reliable information reaching us revealed that there is
ongoing unrest in Kaduna Prison that started in the early hours of
Tuesday, 31 March, 2020 over suspected cases of COVID-19. “The incident led to chaos and government is presently deploying more armed security men to the prison. “It is pertinent to state that his eminence, Sheikh Ibraheem
El-Zakzaky, and his wife Malama Zeenah Ibraheem, are being detained in
the same Kaduna Prison. “We are rightly concerned about these developments and strongly call
on all relevant authorities to ensure that the security and safety of
the sheikh and his wife are guaranteed. “We would hold the government responsible for any harm to them. “It is the responsibility of government to protect all inmates in
such homes, especially with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic
ravaging the world.”
