Why we brought El-Zakzaky back to Nigeria Immediately — FG

The Nigerian government said on Friday that Shiite leader Ibrahim El-Zakzaky tried to seek asylum in India.

The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Grace Gekpe, said this in a statement sent to Premium Times.

“With total disrespect and complete loss of decorum for international procedures while in India, he initiated contacts with a team of lawyers led by Ali Zia Kabir Chaudary and Gunjan Singh in that country. He also contacted some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), such as the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) and other Shiite groups. His aim was to seek asylum and eventually relocate to another country,” the official said.

Mr El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenah, returned to Nigeria from India on Friday. The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), headed by the Shiite leader, had earlier released a statement accusing the Nigerian government of frustrating his medical treatment in India.

The IMN also condemned the way Mr El-Zakzaky was rearrested by security operatives at the Abuja after his arrival.

The cleric and his wife have been detained by the SSS since December 2015 after soldiers killed at least 347 IMN members for blocking a public road.

– Premium Times