at least five followers of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky shot dead on Saturday in a clash with the men of Nigerian Army in Zuba in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The Shia were in a procession from Suleja in Niger State to Abuja for the three-day mass march, tagged: ‘Arbaeen Symbolic Trek’, scheduled to begin on Sunday.
It was gathered that when members of the sect approached a military checkpoint near Zuma motor park, the troops refused to allow them to pass.
An eyewitness said about five members of the group were shot dead during the commotion.
The group had addressed a press conference on Saturday on the three-day march, which will commence on Sunday and end on October 30.
The group had appealed to the residents of Abuja and its environs to support people during the march, as more than one million followers of Sheik El-Zakzaky were expected at the protest.
Arbaeen Symbolic Trek
According to Islamic movements in Nigeria, multitude of thousands of members in Nigeria under the spiritual guardianship of His Eminence, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky(H) embark on a nationwide Arbaeen mass trek to commemorate the fortieth Day after the brutal murder of Imam Hussain (A.S) in Karbala, 61 years AH.
The trek has since kicked off from the city of Kano, Thursday 25/10/2018, leads by some representatives of the Movement among which include the Ameer of Kano, Sheikh Dr. Sanusi Abdulkadir.
Tagged “Arbaeen”, the event is centrally commemorated in Karbala, Iraq, where millions of people trek to the tomb of Imam Hussain (A.S) to remember the trial and tribulation faced by Household of the Holy Prophet, chained and dragged in scorching desert, barefoot from Karbala in Iraq to Damascus in Syria, after the brutal killing of Imam Hussain (A.S).
While addressing a session of Journalists Wednesday, 24/10/2018, during a Press Conference organized by the central committee on the trek, Kano axis, Engineer Dr. Dauda Nalado said, "The trek which will coincide with the event in Karbala is symbolic as a mark of honour and allegiance to Imam Hussain (A.S) and his cause, as well as condemnation of the Karbala tragedy, and is going to be held across the 8 axis of the Movement nationwide.
Dr. Dauda Nalado addede that the "The trek from eight axis namely: Zaria, Kaduna, Pambegua, Kano, Malumfashi, Funtua, Unguwar Malam Mudi (Birnin Gwari) and Gadan Gayan, comprising neighbouring states and towns will later start.
He lamented over how Kano state government indiscriminately attack last year's Arbaeen trek, adding that the trek is a religious rite been exercised by all followers of Ahlul Bayt across the Universe.
