Hawzah News Agency - (Kaduna - Nigeria) - Hospital sources in Nigeria say 43 shrapnel pieces still remain in the body of top Shia cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky.

According to the sources, recent X-rays show there are still 43 pieces of shrapnel left inside the body of the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), who was seriously injured in a Nigeria army raid on his residence in the city of Zaria in 2015.

They also say the cleric’s left eye has been completely damaged by a bullet of the Nigerian army in the raid.

Sheikh Zakzaky's relatives have condemned the Nigerian government for refusing to allow the Sheikh to receive proper medical treatment despite his critical conditions.

They accuse the government of seeking his death in detention.

Zakzaky and his wife have been in detention since December 2015 after his residence in the city of Zaria was raided by Nigeria’s forces, during which he was beaten and lost vision in his left eye.

During the brutal arrest, three of his sons were also killed, his wife sustained serious wounds, and more than 300 of his followers were killed.

Zakzaky was charged in April 2018 with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, disruption of public peace, and other accusations. He has pleaded not guilty, vehemently rejecting all accusations brought up against him.

Recent reports said that his health has been deteriorating, but prison authorities have prevented him from getting much-needed treatment.

In 2016, Nigeria’s federal high court ordered Zakzaky’s unconditional release from jail following a trial, but the government has so far refused to set him free.