Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has asked the Kaduna state High Court for an order stopping the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, from publishing a book on the clash between his group and the Nigeria Army.
Barrister Edward Omaga, who spoke with journalists after filing the suit said such a publication is capable of jeopardizing the ongoing trial of the IMN leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky. He added that the centre views the attempt to publish the book as an attempt to prove that Ibrahim El-Zakzakky and his followers are not guilty whereas the state is prosecuting him.
He said one cannot release a book for public consumption at the same time when issues highlighted and analysed in the book are before the court of law, as allowing same will be subjudice.
CESJET in an originating summons filed at the State High Court Kaduna, wants the court to determine whether by virtue of the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the clash between IMN and the Nigeria army and the gazetted white paper emanating from it, whether the IMN was not proscribed and designated as a terrorist group and whether Ibrahim Musa is not by writing a book on the IMN attempting to commit an act of terrorism.
The Centre is also asking the court for an order mandating the Kaduna state Commissioner of Police to arrest and prosecute the IMN spokesman for trying to publish the book entitled, “December 2015 Massacre of Shiites in Nigeria: Survivors accounts” which it says amounts to trying to dislodge the Nigerian government.
In the summons taken out by Omaga, the Center pointed out that by virtue of the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry and the white paper, the IMN has been proscribed adding that by trying to launch a book on the IMN, Musa is trying to further the activities of the IMN which the centre described as ‘criminal.’
