Hawzah News Agency (Abuja, Nigeria) – Son of Shiekh Zakzaky sent a massage, informing people of his parent’s health situation:

Today It has become necessary for me to break the unwritten yet implemented gag order which I observe in the hope that my silence will help avoid harsher torment upon my Imprisoned parents.

Since before my parents were transferred from DSS detention to Kaduna Prison, my father's blood pressure has been spiking up and dipping down irregularly, a situation that continues to worsen among numerous other things.

My mother who among numerous medical issues is currently bleeding through the nose and mouth due to an existing case of sinus that has remained untreated for the past five years.

In late December several doctors where finally allowed to see them. The doctors then ordered a number of tests, some of which required that they be taken to hospital. To which the prison authorities refused on the grounds that the court did not order such.

On 24 February The court clearly ordered them to grant and facilitate unimpeded access to medical attention.

On February 26 They again returned and ordered the same routine tests they had ordered earlier. After which we proceeded to follow due procedure to make that happen.

Today after weeks of preparations, appointments with doctors and hospitals, and numerous arrangements with the office of the Controller of prisons of Kaduna State, our efforts to get my parents undergo otherwise routine medical tests have been once again frustrated.

According to one of my parent's Doctors who was to oversee the tests, and was the only person allowed to go and see them. They demanded that he and any other doctors who seeks to see them, must write a separate application to the CP's office, which he shall send up the ranks to Abuja pending their approval.

We must then return and make arrangements with the Doctor in charge of Kaduna state prisons and the Doctor representing the Kaduna State Government depending on their schedules.

After which we are then to repeat all the processes that took us the past three weeks to complete, and schedule the medical tests at their pleasure.

The Doctor was also told that the entire process must be carried out with the strict exclusion of any legal representation.

According to the Controller Muazu Dan Musa of the Kaduna States Prisons; Any and all involvement of any lawyer in the process will be met with the same measure currently taken. Which is to say that all medical attention will continue to be denied in indefinitely.

Mohammed Ibraheem Zakzaky