Hawzah News Agency-A Nigerian minority Shia Muslim sect that has been declared an unlawful society by a northern state vowed on Saturday to challenge the ban.

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria came to prominence when its members clashed with the army in the northern city of Zaria, Kaduna state, in December 2015. A judicial inquiry in August concluded that the army killed 348 of the sect's members.

The Kaduna state government on Friday said anyone convicted of being a member of the sect could be imprisoned for seven years, fined or both. The size of the fine was not specified.

The Shia sect's leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, has been held in custody, without charge, by Nigeria's security agency since his December arrest following the clashes. His supporters have called for his release.

A spokesman for the sect, Ibraheem Musa, said its members were not going to be intimidated into resorting to violence.

"Very soon, we shall challenge this ban through legal and peaceful means," he said.