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Members of the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) in Kano stayed indoors contrary to their earlier pledge to stage a protest in the state.

It was also gathered that a few of their members were seen at Kurna Asabe Quarters, but when they sighted policemen they ran away.

Kurna Asabe, a quarters in Dala Local Government Area of the state, is one of the strongholds of the Movement but was quiet for the whole of the day due to the presence of security personnel.

At Goron Dutse residence of the late Muhammad Turi, member of the IMN have been indoors due to security personnel deployed in the area.

A member of the IMN in Kano spoke with THE NATION under anonymity that ” We came out as early as 6 am and finished out activities within few minutes to avoid casualties.”

According to him, “Anytime we were attacked, you Journalists said clashed, how can armless people clash with armed people. Do justice to us my friend in your report”.

However, the commissioner of police in Kano, Mr Ahmed Ilyasu told The Nation that there was no procession by Shiite in Kano.

Read Also; Shiites observe peaceful Ashura in Potiskum

According to him, both the soldier and policeman were deployed to strategic positions in the state to wade off any attempt by the Shiite to stage a procession. As such, no procession also took place in the 44 Local Government Areas in the state.

Ilyasu assured that the commercial city of Kano is peaceful without report of any clash with prescribed members of IMN.

In a press statement made available to reporters in Kano by Spokesman of IMN , Ibrahim Musa said “This year’s Ashura procession was held in all the state capitals of the North and Abuja. It ended peacefully in Abuja, Jos, Kebbi, Minna, Lafia, Yola, Gusau, Zaria, Kano, Jalingo, Damaturu, Hadejia and Potiskum.

“Today’s show of shame and rage by the police across the states was sequel to the tragic orders given to it by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu to brutally attack the peaceful Ashura mourners.”

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday fixed Sept.11 to deliver judgment in the petition filed by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar challenging president Muhammadu Buhari’s victory in the Feb. 23 general election.

The Court of Appeal Public Relations Officer, Mrs Sadiat Kachalla, announced this in a notice of judgment in Abuja.

The tribunal on Aug.21 reserved judgment on the appeal after parties adopted their addresses.

Justice Mohammed Garba, Chairman of the five-man panel of justices had stated that the judgment date would be communicated to parties.

The president was declared the winner of the election after scoring 15,191,847 votes as against Atiku’s 11, 262,978 votes.

While adopting his address, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Counsel for Buhari, had described the petition as a sham as it lacked substance and merit.

“I have handled a few electoral petition cases, this is one petition that yarns for help, for assistance and for evidence but could not get any.

“Apart from the hype the matter has generated, there is nothing in law to support the allegations before the tribunal, Olanipekun said.

On the qualification of the president, Olanipekun said Section 131 (b) had settled that matter.

“I make bold to say that the Constitution and case laws had not compelled the candidates of the election to tendered certificates or attached same to INEC form before submission.

“The laws only mandate any person contesting election in the country to have gone to school up to Secondary School level,’’ he said.

On the issue of election results transmission by electronic means, the counsel said the use of such technology must be provided for in the Electoral Act.

“The allegation on the management of server by INEC is vague. Where is the server? This is a million dollar question that the petitioners could not substantiate.

“My Lords, this petition was not properly diagnosed, the action was ill-advised, I, therefore, urge the tribunal not to bow to sentiment or public opinion that does not represent the law.

“This petition is liable to be dismissed with a considerable cost’’, Olanipekun said.

On his part, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, Counsel for All Progressive Congress (APC) said he could not help but take the liberty to align himself with the submissions made Olanipekun.

“My Lords it is disheartening to see that this petition still remains watery at this stage.

“The petition made allegations they could not proof. We have done a table showing how the petitioners have proven the case so far.

“The election took place in 119,976 Polling Units, 8,901 Wards in 774 Local Government Areas across the country.

“It is sad therefore to see that the petitioners only called 62 witnesses. Out of this figure, only five witnesses gave direct evidence of what happened in polling units on the day of election.

“I feel sad that this matter has been starved of evidence and therefore deserves to be dismissed,’’ Fagbemi said.

Also, Mr Yunus Usman, SAN, Counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) urged the panel to uphold all of its objections raised against the admissibility of all pieces of documentary and oral evidence led by the petitioners.

Usman submitted that the electoral body conducted the Feb.23 presidential election in total compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

He also urged the panel to disregard the petitioners’ claims that the results of the election were transmitted electronically to a central server managed by INEC, adding that it was the “greatest lie of the century’’.

He submitted that it was laughable when the petitioners made pleadings that suggested that only the PDP and APC and their candidates contested the election.

Usman prayed the tribunal to take judicial notice of the fact that the Electoral Act 2010 prohibited the transmission of election results electronically.

According to him, the law only provides for manual transmission of election results.

Usman said that all the witnesses presented by the petitioners admitted to the fact that transmission of election results electronically had no placed in the country’s statute books at the moment.

Read Also: Buhari, IGP, NSA, NIA DG meet in Aso Rock

In countering allegations that INEC abandoned its pleadings by not presenting witnesses, the counsel said the commission simply extracted salient pieces of evidence from the petitioners’ pleadings to solidify its defence.

“It would have amounted to wasting the time of the tribunal for us to call witnesses when the petitioners could not discharge the burden of proof on allegations they had made,’’ he said.

Usman thereafter prayed the court to dismiss the petition for lack of merit.

Meanwhile, Dr Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, Counsel for the petitioners urged the tribunal to discountenance the addresses of the respondents, adding that the petitioners had indeed discharged the burden of proof.

He said the tribunal must exercise its powers in good conscience to uphold the petition and return Abubakar as president.

Uzoukwu further said the second respondent (Buhari) was unable to present his Secondary School Certificate before the tribunal in order to rest the allegation.

“My Lords, we pray the panel to judiciously and judicially evaluate our evidence in context of whether we have justified our allegation against Buhari’s certificate or not.

On the issue of server, Uzoukwu said INEC had operated, activated and stored the Feb.23 election results in a centrally controlled server.

NAN reports that the tribunal would have to rule on all pending interlocutory applications filed by parties before delivering judgment on the main appeal.

Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) popularly known as Shi’ites on Tuesday observed their annual Ashura procession in Potiskum, Yobe State.

Potiskum is one of the strongholds of the Shiites in the north apart from Kaduna, which is the headquarters of the movement.

Our correspondent, who monitored the situation, observed that the procession, which was led by the leader of the group in Potiskum Malam Ibrahim Lawan started at Misau road at Yaro Damboa junction through other streets in Potiskum and terminated at Ari-Kime junction where the Shiites dispersed to their homes.

A huge crowd of followers, including women and children, were sighted during the procession which was carried out without any breach of law and order.

No incident of violence was recorded during the procession as the security came after the procession was already winded up.

The spokesman of the group in Potiskum Ibraheem El – Tafseer in told our correspondent the procession in the state was successful.

Despite the orders of the Inspector General of police against their procession, Ibraheem said they would have still come out even if all of them were killed.

Read Also; Shiites dare police on planned procession

His words: “We did our procession successfully in Potiskum. We started around 7.15am. We followed the streets with multitude of followers, brothers and sisters and our children wearing black shirts with our flag with the inscription – Labbayaka Ya Hussain, meaning Husain, we sacrifice our lives for you. We came to Ari -Kime junction and close it there.

“After we closed the procession, soldiers came with three vehicles and started following our followers to disperse them but they did not catch anyone.

“They did not come during our procession. Before they came, we had already finished it so they didn’t catch anyone because all the followers went back to their home.

“I am sure they came either to beat or catch us or to disperse us because they came with their armored tanker vehicles.

“We are aware of what the Inspector General of Police said but you can’t stop us from carrying out this procession.

“We must come out to observe it because this is what we have been doing for over 25 years in Potiskum and through Nigeria and in fact the whole world because it marked the day the grandson of the prophet Imam Husain was killed. So we have to come out even if they kill us all.”

The Police Public Relation Office Yobe State, ASP Abdulmalik Abdulhafiz said all the Police Area Commands in the State were calm and the situation was under close monitoring.

He called on all law- abiding citizens to go about their normal businesses and report any suspicious movement around them to the police and other security agents.

The Police and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN , otherwise known as the Shiites, Tuesday engaged in a serious clash with the sect claiming the Police arrested so many of their members while scores of others were injured.

A spokesman of the group in Katsina, Dr Abdulkarim Usman, Abdulmumin told The Nation on telephone that the procession started at about 7.30 am and ended abruptly by 8.30 am because of the intrusion of the Police who fired teargas and shot indiscriminately into the air to disperse them.

Abubakar further admitted that none of their members was killed but that scores of them were injured while several others were arrested by the police.

He said “we divided ourselves into several groups and peacefully were marching through the street around Kofar Marusa area of Katsina when the Police intervened and several of our members were either arrested or injured in the ensuing fracas’’

Meanwhile, the leader of the movement in the state, Malam Yakubu Yahaya told newsmen Tuesday in Katsina, called on Nigerians to understand the movement and its orientation
adding; “we are almajiris under sheik Ibrahim al Zazzaki, he was born in Katsina, our organization and its orientation is for the progress and growth of the religion worldwide, this procession is a yearly activity”

“The organization is not an association but an ideological movement for the common people, but the Government does not want to understand us.”

Read Also:  Shi’ites bow to pressure hold 30-minute procession

When contacted, the Spokesman of the State Police Command, Superintendent Gambo Isah refereed to the earlier warning by the command against the proposed street procession, insisting that the command had to ensure the order was fully complied with.

The Nation recalled that the Police had earlier issued a clarification warning to the movement following their planned procession.

The Police also stated that while Muslims are free to commemorate “Ashura” throughout the country along with other Muslims across the world, it, however, insisted that the ban on processions is however applicable to members of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria only.