Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), commonly known as the Shi’ite group, on Friday staged a peaceful demonstration in Bauchi to express solidarity with Palestine.
The protest formed part of activities commemorating Quds Day, an annual event observed on the last Friday of Ramadan to highlight the Palestinian cause.
Speaking during the demonstration, a representative of the group, Ahmad Yashi, said the rally was organised to draw attention to what he described as decades of suffering faced by Palestinians.
“This demonstration takes place across the world on the last Friday of Ramadan under the Quds Day platform. It is meant to show support and sympathy for Palestinians who have been under invasion for many decades,” Yashi said.
The demonstrators, who are loyal to the IMN leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, carried banners and chanted slogans in support of Palestine.
Yashi maintained that similar demonstrations organised by the group over the years had remained peaceful.
He, however, alleged that tensions during previous protests were often triggered by misunderstandings between authorities and members of the movement.
“Our demonstrations have always been peaceful. Any disruption that happened in the past was largely due to a lack of understanding of our activities,” he added.
The Bauchi chapter of the movement also expressed support for Iran amid rising tensions involving the United States and Israel.
According to Yashi, targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would only worsen the crisis.
“Eliminating the Supreme Leader will not bring peace. Rather, it could escalate the conflict because he is among the religious authorities advocating restraint,” he said.
Yashi described Islam as a religion of peace but criticised Western powers for what he termed persistent global conflicts.
“Islam teaches peace, but global instability is largely driven by the selfish interests of Western powers who want others to submit to their dominance,” he said.
He further disclosed that members of the movement in Bauchi had earlier organised another rally in solidarity with Iran.
“We previously held a peaceful demonstration in support of Iran. In a conflict like this, every Muslim must decide whether to stand with the oppressed or with the oppressors,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Police Command said security personnel were deployed across key locations in the metropolis ahead of the protest.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Habib, explained that the deployment followed an order by the Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, to safeguard public facilities and ensure law and order.
“Our operatives monitored the situation closely to prevent any breakdown of law and order. As of now, the demonstration was conducted peacefully without any reported incident,” Habib said.
