Last Wednesday, a Kaduna State High Court acquitted the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife Zeenat.
The couple were charged to court by the Kaduna State Government for their alleged roles in the death of a soldier in December 2015.
The court upheld the no-case submission filed by the counsel to Mr El-Zakzaky and his wife; indicating the state could not prove that the couple had committed any offence.
For the most part of the detention period, Mr El-Zakzaky and his wife were held at an undisclosed location by the State Security Service (SSS).
They were arrested in December 2015, after the Nigerian Army extra-judicially killed over 300 followers of the Shiite cleric.
The origin of the clampdown was a demonstration by members of the group, on a major road in Zaria, during which they blocked the convoy of the then chief of army staff, Tukur Buratai, and other road users.
The Nigerian Army accused Mr El-Zakzaky and his followers of attempting to assassinate Mr Buratai, but the Islamic movement said soldiers simply attacked “defenceless people.”
Sani Usman, the then army spokesperson, called the incident unfortunate, few days after it happened, adding that: “It is important to note that over the years this group has subjected ordinary citizens using public roads to untold hardship, delays, threats and disruption simply because they insist on using public space irrespective of inconvenience and hardship on other law-abiding citizens and motorists. This cannot be tolerated and must stop.”
Road blockades by the IMN during their processions had in the past resulted in clashes with local communities and travellers in many northern states.
A preliminary report by Human Rights Watch stated that Mr El-Zakzaky survived gunshot wounds following the army clampdown that killed over 300 members of the Shiite group.
The IMN, on its part, said over a thousand of its members were killed by the soldiers in the three days between December 12 and 14, 2015, mainly at its headquarters.
A judicial panel of enquiry set up by the Kaduna State Government confirmed 349 deaths – including a soldier. The 348 Shiites were secretly buried in mass graves by soldiers without family members’ permission, making it difficult to determine an accurate death toll.
The men, women and sometimes children marched and chanted through the streets, calling for the release of Mr El-Zakzaky and his wife.
Below is the timeline of events that happened since the December 2015 incident.