A spokesman for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) said on Tuesday that police opened fire on people demonstrating in the northern city of Kaduna, killing three people and injuring several more.
Clashes were also reported in Kaduna’s Tudun Wada area, where people chanted slogans against the Nigerian army, condemning the December 12 attack on a religious gathering in the northern city of Zaria, located about 82 kilometers (51 miles) north of Kaduna. Local sources said hundreds of people were killed in Zaria.
The protesters were also demanding the release of revered Nigerian Shiite cleric Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, who was arrested along with his wife during a raid by the army on his residence and the buildings connected to the Shiite community in Zaria during the early hours of Sunday.
Reports said schools and businesses were closed in Tudun Wada as the number of people attending the protest increased.
The Nigerian army on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of Sheikh Zakzaky, saying he and his wife are safe and in protective custody in a secured facility.
An IMN spokesman said, however, that the deadly raids on Shiites over the past days and detention of Zakzaky were pre-planned, accusing the government of deliberately targeting the members of Nigeria’s Shiite community, Press TV reported.
Human rights groups and activists have strongly denounced the Nigerian government for violating religious and social freedoms by attacking peaceful Shiite gatherings.