Fresh angle to the controversies trailing recent violent protests by a section of Shiites fundamentalists’ known as the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and their subsequent proscription as a terror group may be taking a different dimension.
Apart from making up their mind to challenge the court order obtained by the federal government banning the operations of the organization, spokesman of the Movement, Ibrahim Musa has accused a rival Shiite group (Al-Thaqalayn Cultural Foundation).
According to Musa, the rival Shiite sect, Al-Thaqalayn Cultural Foundation, lead by Sheikh Hamza Lawal, has been a government agent planted to destabilise IMN which had been peaceful.
In an interview, IMN claimed that “Hamza Lawal, had failed woefully to create division within the ranks of the Islamic Movement in the past, and the government.
“He is not worth being dignified with a response. He has been in the corridors of power for a while now and on their payroll to distract attention, cause confusion, and are known by various names in the past – Shia traitors, commercial Shia and the rest.
“When in 2015 government massacred members of the Islamic Movement, they celebrated and rushed to form another organization called SHIMAN to be an umbrella organization to finalize the “burial of IMN” with government support, so as to deceive the public into believing that Shi’ites is not the target.
Musa recalled further that “These same “Shia-groups” were again the ones who earlier this year came out to endorse Buhari for another term. Thus Hamza Lawal and his cultural group are a distraction not worth our time”.
Besides, counsel to IMN, Mr. Femi Falana had on hearing the proscription order, described it as illegal and immoral in the eye of the law, stressing that such order impinges on the fundamental human rights of IMN and shall not be allowed to stand by law.
