Islamic Movement alleges plot to kill Zakzaky

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria said yesterday that it had uncovered a plot to arrest and kill the leader of the movement, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky on his return to Nigeria.

The spokesman of the movement, Ibrahim Usman, disclosed this in a press statement made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.

The statement added that the plot was in stages, with the first being to arrest the Shaikh when he lands in Lagos or assassinate him if the arrest fails. The statement did not name those behind the alleged plan.

“Information reaching us revealed that Sheikh Zakzaky will be arrested and be charged for impersonation that he represented Nigeria at an international conference in Iran while he is not a government official.

“The second stage of the plan is to implicate Shaikh Zakzaky for allegedly importing arms into the country. To this end, an aircraft laden with arms with number 179 will be stationed at the Lagos airport to make a false allegation that it was from the same the Sheikh alighted through which he brought the arms. If the above plan fails the next step is to cause chaos at the airport, the pandemonium will allow for the shooting of Sheikh Zakzaky as he lands at the airport.

“The final stage of the plan is to ambush Zakzaky’s convoy and kill him as he heads home either from Lagos to Zaria, Abuja to Zaria or Kano to Zaria”, the statement said.

Sheikh Zakzaky is currently on a visit to Iraq, having been in Iran on a special visit where he was honoured by a foundation as a father of three martyrs during the 2014 Quds massacre by the Nigerian military in Zaria. Meanwhile a disciple of the Sheikh in Kano, Malam Muhammad Mahmud Turi, has warned of the dire consequences of executing such a plot.