The Resource Forum of the Islamic Movement under the leadership of Sayyid Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) has said it will hold the Guard Brigade of the Nigerian Army responsible for the attack on the 2025 Abuja International Quds Day procession, which left several protesters dead and many injured.
The procession, which started peacefully at Usman Bin Affan Mosque in Wuse 2, Abuja, was violently disrupted by security forces using live ammunition.
The Islamic Movement in a statement on Saturday described the incident as a deliberate attack on unarmed civilians expressing solidarity with Palestine.
“A few minutes after the commencement of the procession, a team of the HQ Nigerian Army (the Guard Brigade) attacked the Quds programme using live ammunition; many sustained gunshots and life-threatening injuries and some lost their lives as a result of the brutality,” the statement read.
The group also accused soldiers of desecrating Islamic and cultural values. “Apart from killing unarmed protesters, the army committed numerous atrocities, such as men arresting women in the premises of Usman Bin Affan Mosque, beating women and children and removing their hijabs within the outskirts of the mosque; these atrocities are taboo in Islam and Muslim culture,” they stated.
Dismissing reports of a confrontation, the Islamic Movement insisted the protesters were peaceful. “Unlike other news reporters that reported the issue of clash or confrontation, there is no form of provocation from the participants warranting the brutality,” the statement said.
They linked the attack to a leaked letter from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), dated 26 March 2025, which instructed security forces to take “necessary action” against the procession.
“Since the release of this letter, the security agents, especially in the FCT Abuja, get prepared for the aforementioned atrocities committed in Usman Bin Affan Mosque,” the group alleged.
The statement also highlighted contradictions within the Nigerian government regarding its stance on Palestine. “The discordant in Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is surprising. While speaking with Al-Jazeera in Doha, Qatar in March 2025, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tugar, Nigeria Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that ‘Israel must stop its war on Gaza, and the World needs to drop its “double standards” over the killings in the besieged enclave.’
Then in March 2025 the National Security Adviser is directing the security agents to attack free Palestine protesters in Abuja.”
Providing casualty figures, the group confirmed that 380 protesters, including women and children, had been arrested and detained at SARS Abbator, Guzape, Abuja. It named four protesters who were killed: Shaheed Ibraheem Dalhat (Sharif Albani), Shaheed Nasir Abubakar, Shaheed Abdulaziz Abubakar, and Shaheed Auwal Abbas Bichi.
“The number of casualties and corpses with the Guard Brigade and the Police are still unknown. Nevertheless, we will update the public in due course,” they stated.
The Islamic Movement said it would hold the Guard Brigade responsible for the attack and demanded accountability.
“We squarely held Bola Ahmed Tinubu responsible for the atrocities committed by the Guard Brigade through killing, abusing Islamic tenet and Muslim culture while attacking 2025 Abuja International Quds within the vicinity of Usman Bin Affan, Jumu’at Mosque, Abuja.”
The group called for the immediate release of detained protesters and the prosecution of those responsible for the killings.
“In view of the foregoing, we are demanding for unconditional release of all those arrested in connection with the 2025 Abuja International Quds procession held on 28 March, 2025.
“We are also demanding for the prosecution of those responsible for the killings of the free Palestine protesters,” the statement concluded.
Sahara Reporters
