By Dipo Olowookere
Leader of Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Mr Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, has been accused of having the intention to seek an asylum in India during his botched medical trip to the country.
The Shiite leader was granted bail some days ago by a court in Kaduna State on health ground.
But while at an Indian hospital, Mr El-Zakzaky refused to agree to remain there, opting for a five-star hotel and asked to be granted unrestricted access to visitors. However, officials of government who accompanied him from Nigeria refused, which made the Islamic leader to return home, aborting the treatment.
Nigerian government, in a statement on Friday night by Grace Isu Gekpe, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, accused Mr El-Zakzaky of having the intention to apply for an asylum in India and then relocate to another country.
In the statement, the federal government expressed “dismay” the “acts of misconduct exhibited by El-zakzaky that necessitated his repatriation,” emphasising that “El-Zakzaky’s actions in India demonstrated malicious intents that were capable of embarrassing the Governments of Nigeria and India.”
“With total disrespect and complete loss of decorum for international procedures while in India, he initiated contacts with a team of lawyers led by Ali Zia Kabir Chaudary and Gunjan Singh in that country. He also contacted some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), such as the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) and other Shiite groups. His aim was to seek asylum and eventually relocate to another country.
“It is important to note that if an Indian court had granted El-zakzaky asylum or leave to travel to another country, it would have violated the Nigerian court order that granted him permission to travel for medical treatment.
“However, he used the opportunity of being in India to attempt to internationalise his cause by mobilising the Rights groups. Even most unfortunate and rather embarrassing as earlier stated, was his quest to be relocated to a 5-Star hotel to receive visitors instead of being admitted in the hospital as a sick person he claimed to be.
“In spite of his misconduct, El-zakzaky’s spouse went further to antagonize the Indian and Nigerian security agents and accused the latter of killing her children. These acts were aimed at winning international sympathy as well as disparaging the Nigerian Government. Having subordinated the quest for medical treatment to other ulterior motives, it became obvious that El-zakzaky was focused on realising some sinister motives thus the decision to return him to Nigeria,” the statement said.
