New demonstration of violence in Nigeria. Clashes erupted on Tuesday (July 9th) between supporters of a jailed Shiite leader and security forces near the National Assembly in Abuja, the country's capital, witnesses told AFP. A demonstration by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) took a violent turn when protesters seized a rifle belonging to one of the policemen in position at the main entrance of the building.
"They grabbed one of their rifles and shot another policeman standing nearby," said one witness. "The guy they fired on was only wounded and was quickly evacuated to the National Assembly clinic, as well as the one whose rifle was stolen, because he had bruises to his head because of of the attack, "he added.
Shooting on the protesters
Security forces responded by opening fire on the demonstrators, injuring some of them, according to witnesses. An AFP journalist saw traces of blood on the road leading to the assembly and cars with windshields broken by protesters on the run. The National Assembly hastily suspended its plenary session following the violence.
The pro-Iranian leader of the IMN, Ibrahim Zakzaky, has been detained since clashes between the army and his supporters in December 2015. They have repeatedly protested against his detention in Abuja and several cities in the north of the country. .
Violent clashes already in October
In October, IMN and human rights organizations claimed that more than 40 people were killed when security forces opened fire on crowds around the capital. For its part, the army claimed that six people had been killed and the soldiers fired to defend themselves.
Zakzaky, who calls for an Islamic revolution inspired by Shiite Iran in a secular state and overwhelmingly Sunni, has for years opposed the Nigerian authorities.
With AFP