ABUJA: Nigerian police said on Saturday they had come under intense gunfire a day earlier in a neighbourhood of the capital, Abuja, during clashes between security forces and Shia protesters that led to several reported deaths.

Eleven protesters and one soldier were killed, the report said, at a pro-Palestinian demonstration held by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) on Friday in the capital Abuja.

Nigeria has a history of deadly clashes between security forces and members of the banned Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), which advocates for the peaceful establishment of an Islamic state in Africa’s most populous nation.

On Friday, several members of the group marched in solidarity with Palestine, but violence broke out when they clashed with soldiers and police. Critics say Nigerian security forces have increasingly resorted to using force, including live ammunition, to quell protests, and that this could radicalise groups like IMN. Amnesty International’s Nigeria branch also confirmed soldiers fired live rounds at the protesters.

Police in a statement on Saturday accused the protesters of “a violent assault” on security personnel armed with firearms and other lethal weapons in Abuja’s Wuse 2 neighbourhood. “Police and security personnel encountered intense gunfire from the attackers, resulting in the serious injury of three security operatives,” said Josephine Adeh, police spokesperson for Abuja. One member of the security forces had died and 19 suspects had been arrested, he said.

The march in Abuja and other cities in Nigeria was held in honour of Quds Day, which is marked in countries around the world with pro-Palestinian protests. Videos circulating on social media platform X showed protesters waving a Palestinian flag and throwing stones at an army vehicle, followed by the sound of gunfire.

Sidi Munir Sokoto, a senior IMN member, blamed the military for the violence, saying the protest was peaceful. He put the death toll at five.

“This was the military. The (military) leadership must explain why this happened,” Sokoto said. An army spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Isa Sanusi, head of Amnesty International Nigeria, called for an impartial investigation. “The army used live ammunition on the protesters. It appears they approach IMN protesters always with the intent to kill,” Sanusi said, also putting the death toll at five.

The intelligence report said that 19 people were injured and 295 others arrested. Its report also described the waving of flags at the protest as undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2025