Zakzaky, wife return to Nigeria after stalemate

The embattled leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife Zeenah are on their way back to Nigeria after complaining that they were being harassed and denied medical care in India.

A statement and video clip posted on the Sayyid Zakzaky Office’s twitter handle @SZakzakyOffice confirmed that “Sheikh Zakzaky is returning to Nigeria from India. 22:00 hours Delhi, 17:00 hours in Abuja Nigeria.”

Zakzaky accused the Nigerian government of lying to the officials of the Medanta Hospital in India that they were being prosecuted in Nigeria for serious crimes.

However, a top security source told Daily Trust that “This man is grandstanding. He went there and started saying what he should get, there are diplomatic processes in handling this kind of thing, and the Indian authorities insist on the rules.”

He said, “He thought he could escape when he gets to India, but when he realized the stance of the Indians; he became aggressive and started antics.”

A pro-Zakzaky campaigner was shown in a video posted by the Islamic Human Rights Commission saying that he Nigerian government has forced the Indian government to deport Zakzaky to Nigeria.

He said many who demanded that El-Zakzaky received medical attention should be angry that the Nigeria government planned and orchestrated his deportation.

The unnamed campaigner queried the proscription of the IMN before Zakzaky was allowed to leave Nigeria. He said the reason was to create an environment whereby Zakzaky would be treated as a terrorist, which he would find unacceptable. This was pre-planned; it was the plan of the Nigerian government,” he stated.

Daily Trust reports that Zakzaky and his wife went to India for treatment after a Kaduna State High Court granted them a medical leave.