The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, has raised the alarm that the upkeep of its incarcerated leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky is being used as an avenue to loot public funds. Apparently irked by reports suggesting that the Federal Government spends N3.5m monthly on the feeding of Zakzaky, the group, also known as Shi’ite, said its leader is responsible for his domestic needs in detention.
It specifically dismissed the claim on the feeding expenses, saying Zakzaky complained about poor feeding when some members of the religious group visited him last month in Kaduna.
While the group did not disagree that the government may have budgeted three-point-five million naira for Zakzaky’s monthly upkeep, it said the report about the expenses suggested that some officials may have been looting public funds under the guise of keeping Zakzaky in protective custody.
President of the group, Ibrahim Musa, who said these in a statement yesterday, said that the government’s claim fails to correspond with the realities of the clerisc’s condition.
Musa described the government’s claim as a decoy to cover government’s many violation of El-zakzaky’s rights and those of his followers.
Musa further said that El-Zakzaky’s quality of feeding had even worsened since he was transferred to Kaduna from Abuja six months ago. He therefore canvassed the need for the release of the incarcerated cleric rather than the spending public funds on lavish feeding for him as claimed.
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