Nigeria must immediately comply with a High Court order and release the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenah, from detention, Amnesty International has said.
The organisation’s position was made known in a press statement signed the Media Manager of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi.
El-Zakzaky Zeenah have been in detention without charge for more than a year following a clash between his supporters and the Nigerian military.
“The 45 day deadline given for their release expires today. If the government deliberately disregards the orders of its own courts, it will demonstrate a flagrant – and dangerous – contempt for the rule of law,” said Makmid Kamara, Interim Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
Kamara added: “El-Zakzaky is being unlawfully detained. This might be part of a wider effort to cover up the gruesome crimes committed by members of the security forces in Zaria in December 2015 that left hundreds dead.”
On December 2, 2016 the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that El Zakzaky and Malama Zeenah Ibraheem should be released within 45 days.
The court described their detention, which began in December 2015, as illegal and unconstitutional.
The deadline for the court order expires on January 16.
Amnesty International also called on the authorities to release other IMN supporters arrested at the same time as El-Zakzaky and his wife, who likewise remain in detention without charge.
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