PRESS RELEASE
Free Palestine protesters are dying in the FCT police custody
Amidst news that broke on Sunday, 6 April, 2025, from mainstream and social media that the security agents are planning to attack us in Abuja, we recently received shocking news that the free Palestine protesters that have been detained by the FCT Police Command since 28 March, 2025, are dying in police custody. Those that recently passed away include Shaheed Huzaifa Muhammad, Tudun Iya, Katsina State, who attained martyrdom on Monday, 7 April, 2025, around 6pm in SARS Abattoir, Guzape, Abuja.
It could be recalled that on Friday, 28 March 2025, around 2pm, the Guards Brigade unprovokedly attacked the 2025 Abuja International Quds Day held at Usman Bin Affan Mosque along Aminu Kano Crescent, Abuja, and during the attack, the Army killed 26 protesters and arrested 274, including 60 minors; this also includes 11 patients who are still being detained despite their critical health conditions. And up to this moment, the Army and the police refused to release both the detained protesters and the corpses of those killed by the Army.
It is pertinent to state that, the crime of both the protesters killed by the Guards Brigade and those being detained by the FCT Police is participation in the 2025 Abuja International Quds Day and demonstrating their support for the freedom of Palestine.
International Quds Day was initiated by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. Quds Day is a Global Day of Solidarity with Palestinians, observed peacefully in over 80 countries. The Islamic movement under the leadership of His Eminence Sayyid Ibraheem Zakzaky has been observing Quds Day for more than four decades. This year alone, Quds Day was observed in more than 17 states of Nigeria, including cities like Lagos, Kano, and Sokoto, without any report of provocations.
Demonstrating solidarity to the people of Palestine is not strange ideology to the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration. While speaking with Al-Jazeera in Doha, Qatar, in March 2025, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tugar, Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that “Israel must stop its war on Gaza, and the world needs to drop its double standards over the killings in the besieged enclave.” But surprisingly, in March 2025, Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, directed the security agents to attack free Palestine protesters in Abuja.
In view of the foregoing, we are going to hold Bola Ahmed Tinubu responsible for the killing of 27 free Palestine protesters and vow to pray against all those that ordered/executed the killing and arrest of participants of the 2025 Abuja International Quds Day.
While condemning this devilish crime against humanity, we vow to challenge all the human rights abuses meted out on the free Palestine protesters in court.
Shaikh Sidi Munir Mainasara,
For the Islamic movement under the leadership of His Eminence Sayyid Ibraheem Zakzaky (H).
8th April, 2025