Court Acquits Shi’ite Leader Zakzaky And Wife Of All Charges

A Nigerian court on Wednesday acquitted Ibrahim Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), a banned Shi’ite group, of all eight criminal charges against him.

Justice Gideon Kurada ruled there were no charges to answer and acquitted the pair while Prosecution lawyer Dari Bayero confirmed the ruling.

Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenah, had been in detention since 2015 when he was arrested after a clash in which the army killed an estimated 350 people at an IMN compound and a nearby mosque and burial ground in northern Kaduna state.

The couple had been facing a range of charges filed by the state government in 2018, including aiding and abetting homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of public peace.

IMN spokesman Ibrahim Musa said the ruling “a victory for perseverance in the face of extreme persecution.” Zakzaky’s supporters at the courthouse said they feared police would re-arrest him following his release.

The police and Nigeria’s attorney general did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The government banned IMN in 2019 after a series of protests calling for Zakzaky’s release turned deadly.