Police Ban IMN’s Activities Nationwide, Recruit 40,000

The police high command Tuesday outlawed processions and activities of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) nationwide.

Communicating the position of the Federal Government in the wake of the sect’s proscription by the court at a press conference in Abuja, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, warned that any person associating in the group’s name henceforth would be treated as a terrorist and tried under the Terrorism Act.

He said the force and other security agencies were committed to giving full effect to the judicial pronouncement in the interest of internal security and national cohesion.

The IGP accused members of the sect of pledging allegiance to foreign nations with the intent to destabilise Nigeria.

Adamu held that the Islamic movement had over years constituted a serious threat to good governance, sovereignty, security and the corporate existence of the country.

He clarified: “Hence, it is to be emphasised that while all adherents of the Shiite sect in Nigeria remain free to continue to practice their faith and shall be guaranteed adequate security to so do as the judicial order does not stop them, (but) the El-Zakzaky-led Islamic Movement in Nigeria which does not recognise nor accept the constitution and government of the federation is the sole organisation that has been classified as a terrorist organisation and proscribed.”

The police chief also announced the recruitment of 40,000 persons for community policing across the federation.

He said: “The breakdown of the community policing deployment plan covers the recruitment of 40,000 community police officers (CPOs) across the country in the interim. The CPOs will be recruited from within where the prospective applicants reside and an average of 50 CPOs are to be engaged in each of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).”