Phile Photo: Members of Shiites protest in Abuja
The secretary general of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST) has in a telephone conversation assured Nigerian Shiite Muslim leader Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky that Iran would do its utmost to help the process of his medical treatment.
On Thursday morning, Ayatollah Mohsen Araki had a telephone conversation with Sheikh Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) who was in India to receive medical treatment. Zakzaky had to cut short his India treatment to return to Nigeria over what he termed poor treatment and living conditions.
Upon learning about the physical and mental conditions of the ailing Nigerian cleric, Ayatollah Araki voiced concern about Sheikh Zakzaky’s health, and gave him an assurance that both Iran and the WFPIST would make every effort to contribute to the process of his medical treatment.
The Nigerian Muslim leader, for his part, expressed gratitude to Iran for its helpful efforts. According to Ayatollah Araki, Sheikh Zakzaky’s morale was high when he spoke to him.
Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife flew out of Nigeria on Tuesday to get medical treatment in India.
The Arabic-language al-Ahed new agency reported on Wednesday that Sheikh Zakzaky has decided to leave India because the severe security restrictions have adversely affected the course of his medical treatment.
The top Shiite cleric has been held in detention since December 2015 and was charged just in April 2018 with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, disruption of public peace and other accusations. He has pleaded not guilty.
Zakzaky has lost his left eyesight in a raid by the Nigerian army on his residence in the northern town of Zaria in December 2015.
During the raid, the cleric’s wife sustained injuries too and more than 300 of his followers and three of his sons were killed.
Ever since his incarceration, Shiite members have had several clashes with security agencies in Nigeria resulting in scores of casualties.
