The leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) also known as Shi’ites, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, is heading back to Nigeria after a failed medical trip to India, Tribune Online has learnt.
Confirming this to Tribune Online, one of the leaders of the Movement, Abdullahi Musa, said plans to bring the Sheikh back became necessary after the Nigerian government allegedly frustrated his plan to be treated by doctors he trusted in India.
El-Zakzaky had, on Wednesday, said things changed when he got to an Indian hospital, alleging that the Federal Government had changed the plans with the Indian authorities, which he said was a breach of an earlier arrangement made before he left Nigeria with his wife.
He alleged that his condition and that of his wife, Zeenat, were subjected to at the Indian hospital when they arrived Tuesday evening for medical treatment, was worse than that of Nigeria.
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Ibrahim Musa, the spokesperson of the IMN, who also confirmed the development on Wednesday, said the group had received an audio message from El-Zakzaky where he narrated the “terrible condition” they had been subjected to in India.
In the full transcript of El-Zakzaky’s message, he said that they were only brought to another detention facility where they did not feel safe, as he only met with a new set of doctors who were brought in to handle their case but whom he had not made any prior arrangement with.
It will be recalled that a High Court in Kaduna granted the IMN leader, El-Zakzaky, and his wife medical leave to be treated in India under the supervision of the Nigerian government.
Since the Sheikh and the wife left Nigeria for India for medical attention, there have been controversies on how the Sheikh was handled in India and the unruly attitude of the Islamic leader towards the Indian government as alleged by the Nigerian government.
However, in a video released by the Sheikh on Thursday, he accused the Nigerian government of frustrating his plans of getting his doctor to attend to him.
He further said in the video that if the trend continues, he would have no option than to return to Nigeria.
He insisted that only the doctors he trusted could attend to him and his wife, else they would leave for another country for medical attention.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria government in a statement released from the Ministry of Information and Culture on Wednesday accused the Islamic cleric of complicating issues and making his medical attention impossible.
The Nigerian government and the IMN have both exchanged counter-allegations on the true situation in India.
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