Key Points

• One security officer was killed during the confrontation between security forces and IMN members.

• The IMN claimed that many of their members were killed or injured, although this has not been verified.

• The Quds procession, held annually in support of Palestine, has been a source of repeated conflict with Nigerian security agencies.

A violent clash took place in Abuja on March 29, 2025, when security forces confronted members of the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) during their Quds procession.

The procession, held annually in support of Palestine, was stopped by soldiers at Banex roundabout in Wuse 2.

Jafaar Gali, a leader of the procession, said they threw stones at the soldiers after being stopped. The police confirmed that one security officer was killed in the clash, and others were injured.

IMN Claims Many Dead and Arrested

The IMN group claimed that many of their members were killed or injured during the incident, although the police did not confirm these details.

Muhammad, another member of the group, said that the bodies of those killed were taken to Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

The police arrested 19 people, but the IMN argued that some of them were not involved in the procession.

Security forces took control of key areas in Wuse, and soldiers and police were seen patrolling the streets after the violence.

Tensions Between IMN and Government Continue

This clash is just one in a long series of confrontations between the IMN and Nigerian security forces.

The Nigerian government banned the IMN in 2019, despite legal victories for the group, including the release of their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, in 2021.

However, the government continues to treat the IMN as a banned group, and their protests are often met with force.

The ongoing violence raises questions about how this conflict will end and if the IMN will ever be allowed to protest peacefully.