Nigeria’s top cleric denied urgent medical treatment in prison, despite court order
Written by: Ese
A Kaduna High Court expressed dissatisfaction in the sitting of Nigeria’s top cleric and his wife on Monday after they were denied urgent medical attention against court orders.
Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), and his wife, Zeenah, have been detained in Nigeria since December 2015.
Zakzaky lost vision in his left eye and the both of them have obtained several injuries after Nigerian security forces raided their house to arrest them.
Read more on Zakzaky:
https://www.thecanadafiles.com/africa/nigeria-democracy-last-stand
The couple’s legal team expressed concern that the Nigerian government is stalling the trial as the Kaduna Correctional Centre, where the couple have been imprisoned in, have denied the couple access to their personal doctors despite court orders from the last sitting on Feb. 6, 2020 permitting it.
In Monday’s sitting, Marshall Abubakr, representing the defendants, brought up this concern to the judge, Justice Gideon Kurada, highlighting that Zeenah, who was present in the sitting, was bleeding from her nose and mouth and needed urgent medical attention.
The court then called for a two hour recess while it summoned the Kaduna state warden to respond to this complaint.
Upon hearing from the warden, Justice Kurada expressed dissatisfaction with how the case was handled by the prison authorities and adjourned the sitting to Apr. 23 and Apr. 24, 2020 as the defendants have to be a medically stable condition in order for the trial to proceed.
In 2016, Nigeria’s Federal High Court had already ordered the couple’s unconditional release by Jan. 16, 2017, but the Nigerian government did not comply.
A year late, Zakzaky was charged with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, the disruption of public peace, among other accusations. He pleaded not guilty.
For years the couple were denied appropriate medical treatment for their injuries but due to campaigns organized by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) as well as international protests, they were permitted to obtain the medical treatment they needed from India. Due to the Nigerian security forces’ interference in India, however, Zakzaky decided to return back to Nigeria without treatment.
Despite attacks from the Nigerian security forces, Zakzaky’s followers continue to carry out peaceful demonstrations for the couple’s release.