Women protest against Shiites, seek terrorist tag for Islamic movement

Commercial activities were momentarily brought to a halt in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as a battalion of women stormed the National Assembly complex to protest against the activities of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (popularly known as Shiites).

Organised by the Concerned Women/Africa Arise for Change Network, the protesters insisted that the actions of the Shiites carry political undertones.

Speaking during the well-attended march, the convener, Princess Ajibola, called on the federal legislature to pass a resolution compelling the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to file a suit for the court to declare IMN a terrorist organisation for law enforcement agencies to respond better to the threat the body allegedly poses to the country.

She said: “Concerned Nigerian Women and the Africa Arise for Change Network are staging this rally today (yesterday) in order to put it on record that we are not in any way part of the conspiracy of silence in the glaring threat now posed to the country by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).

“Nigerians and the entire world were last week treated to the macabre spectacle of IMN members invading the National Assembly, the most important site for our democracy.

“While every Nigerian has the right to protest to the National Assembly, the intention of the IMN members was very obvious because they were there to sack the parliament as demonstrated by their attack on the policemen on duty.”

According to her, “IMN attacks on members of the public and security operatives are not new. Killing law enforcement officers is also not new to them. What was however alarming in this instance is the sheer intensity of the attack during which they shot several policemen in addition to wounding others with catapults and cudgels.”

Ajibola went on: “It is laughable that the IMN extremists resorted to playing the victim after their attempt to overthrow the National Assembly failed. Had they succeeded in entering the chambers and killing our federal lawmakers like they planned, they would have by now been declaring that Nigeria is a Shia Republic.

“Further proof that they intended to overthrow the government was their decision to target the Federal Secretariat within hours of attacking the National Assembly.

“With the targeting the of the buildings that implement the policies of the executive arm of government, it is a matter of time before they launch crippling attacks on the courts in order to instil fear in the judiciary.”