A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday turned down the application brought before it by the leader of the Shi’ites Islamic group in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, praying the court to order the Department of State Services (DSS) release him from detention immediately.
Justice Abang said that Zakzaky ought to have obtained the leave of court for the matter to be heard during vacation.
The Judge held that the leader of the Shi’ites Movement failed to serve the DSS, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, who are respondents in the matter.
Justice Abang, who is sitting as a vacation Judge said that the matter was initially assigned to Justice Gabriel Kolawole by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and added that El-Zakzay’s application was not competent and he struck it out.
El-Zakzaky was charged with criminal conspiracy and inciting public disturbances by the Chief Magistrate Court, Kaduna.
El-Zakzaky, who was arraigned alongside some followers by the police, was remanded in prison custody on the order of the Magistrate court.
The army had accused the Shi’ite group of attempting to assassinate Tukur Buratai, the chief of army staff, but the Islamic movement said the soldiers simply attacked “defenceless people.”
and then