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There was palpable apprehension among a section of the House of Representatives after members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (also known as the Shiites) stormed the building.
The aggrieved Shiites, who chanted “Allahu Akbar”, barricaded the main entrance between 11:30a.m. and 2:30p.m., fulminating over the continued detention of their 68-year-old leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, his wife and others.
The development forced the Deputy Speaker, Sulaimon Yussuff Lasun, who presided over the plenary, to deploy the sergeant-at-arms to inquire if the sect members had invaded to disrupt proceedings but the response turned out negative.
The protesters, who conducted themselves peaceably, however, succeeded in forcing lawmakers and visitors to gain access into the premises through the gates of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) office and the Presidential Villa.
Their spokesperson, Abdullahi Mohammed Musa, enjoined the legislators to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to release their leaders who have been held for 1,224 days in defiance of court orders.