Hundreds of people took to the streets of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, earlier today to protest against the continued detention of pro-Iranian Shia leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky.
The crowd converged near Eagles Square – at the entrance to the civil service secretariat’s main building.
The protest blocked off the main roads to the secretariat, leading to a heavy traffic hold-up for motorists going into the city centre.
The protesters say they have been prevented by the police from holding their daily rally at their usual venue, Unity Fountain.
The police say they have been ordered to block the fountain, and would not allow any rally to be held there.
Mr Zakzaky was arrested along with his wife in 2015 in a military crackdown which led to more than 300 members of his Shia group, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), being killed.
The military accused the group of trying to assassinate the army chief. It denied the allegation.
BBC