TheCable

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has accused the federal government of alleged plans to kill Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, its leader.

El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat,  arrived in Nigeria from India on Friday after refusing to receive treatment in the Asian country.

The duo travelled to India on Monday on medical grounds following the order of a Kaduna high court but claimed they met doctors other than the ones they chose to treat them.

They insisted that would only submit to treatment from doctors they personally chose, preferring to return home instead.

The federal government had said El-Zakzaky was misbehaving in India and wanted to check into a five-star hotel.

Reacting to his return, the group, in a statement by Ibrahim Musa,  its spokesman, said the federal government had ulterior motives.

The faulted the reception of the Shiite leader at the airport, asking that his whereabouts be made public.

“It is a well-known fact that the Nigerian authorities had tried all their antics to see that the Sheikh wasn’t given medical leave,” the statement read.

“Distrustful of the Nigerian government’s offer of a jet to take him to the destination, having survived its attempts to poison and kill him while in detention, our leader Sheikh Zakzaky declined the offer and chose to pay for his trip through the Emirates Airline.

“The interference of the government raised suspicion that it was planning to kill the Sheikh in India using its international connections. He insisted that if he would not be allowed to see the doctors that brought him to India he would rather come back to Nigeria and seek another destination for his treatment.

“It is glaringly clear that the government had an ULTERIOR MOTIVE it was nursing using its connections in India when it violated court order and interfered with the procedures of the Sheikh’s treatment.

It is worth noting that the Kaduna high court allowed the Sheikh to go to India with the government only supervising, instead the federal government presented him to the Indian government as a dangerous suspect with an unknown ailment coming to India and demanded stringent security placed on him. There was even a report that the security agents in India subjected him to physical assault.”