The Islamic Movement of Nigeria, (IMN), otherwise known as ‘Shiites’, has expressed its concern over the refusal of the Federal Government to release the travelling documents of its leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zenaat, to travel abroad for medical treatment.
The group, who made this known yesterday, said despite the judgment of a Kaduna State High Court which discharged and acquitted them the couple have been denied access to travel.
The IMN spokesperson, Abdullahi Muhammad, stated this in a petition to the United Nations, European Union, Amnesty International, National Human Rights Commission, Canada, Norway and Switzerland.
In a copy of the petition dated August 20, 2021, made available to newsmen, the group called for the immediate release of the document in the interest of justice.
The group added that the court had acceded that the couple’s deteriorating health condition didn’t merely require qualified medical personnel for an effective examination, but also a medical facility with up-to-date equipment.
According to the report, travelling abroad for medical treatment is a top priority to the couple, and the Sheikh emphasised it during a meeting with the group on July 31.
It added, “To spend five years and seven months in detention with numerous pieces of shrapnel in the body, releasing deadly poison into the blood, is no child’s play”.
The organisation, therefore, called on the international community to prevail on the Nigerian Government to obey the court order and release the couple’s international passports.
