The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) has hailed the proscription of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) as a terrorist organisation, describing it as a “relief to Nigerians”.
The Federal Government, on Friday, obtained a court order to banish the Shiite organisation, following violent protests in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Justice Nkeonye Maha of the Federal High Court Abuja issued the order in a ruling which designated the activities of the Shiite group in any part of Nigeria “as acts of terrorism and illegality.”
In a statement signed by the group’s Director of Research, Helen Akanji, Saturday, said it welcomed the judgement and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to expedite action gazetting the order.
The group, however, appealed to the federal government to immediately initiate a programme to rehabilitate IMN members that voluntarily renounce the group’s campaign of terror and commit to peaceful coexistence with other Nigerians.
“The ex parte order granted by Justice Nkeonye Maha of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, proscribing the activities of IMN in any part of the country, is a relief to millions of Nigerians that are being terrorised by members of the terrorist group across the country.
“While SHAC had always appealed to the Federal Government to follow in the steps of the Kaduna State government, which earlier outlawed the group on account of its being violent and militarised, the recent track.killing spree of police officers by IMN militants under the pretext of protesting the detention of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakyzaky, was a further reason to stop terrorism in its
“It is our belief that those who were misled to join the group and its violent protests, who are not far gone in being radicalised, can now be jolted back to reality and renounce all affiliations with IMN while seeking rehabilitation and reintegration into the contemporary society.
“Security agencies should exploit the ruling of the Federal High Court to go after IMN leaders that are still on the loose as these are the ones coordinating the killing of security personnel and ordering arson attacks on public infrastructure in line with the terrorist group’s disavowal of the Nigerian state. These IMN leaders should not be allowed to have time to direct further attacks against Nigeria,” the group said.
