By Zainab Rauf, Abuja Amnesty International has condemned the continued detention of Jamila Ibrahim and her infant child by Nige...
By Zainab Rauf, Abuja
Amnesty International has condemned the continued detention of Jamila Ibrahim and her infant child by Nigerian authorities, calling for their immediate and unconditional release, more than four months after they were arrested during a peaceful religious procession in Abuja.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday, the human rights watchdog described the arrest and prolonged detention of Jamila—who was carrying her then one-month-old baby during a Quds Day procession on March 28—as “a blatant violation of human rights and due process.”
“Jamila and her baby are still in detention at Suleja Prison—without being charged to court or granted access to her family or lawyer,” Amnesty International said. “This is an utter disregard for the rule of law.”
The Quds Day event, held at Wuse Market, marked the end of the Ramadan fasting period and is traditionally observed by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), a Shiite group that has faced repeated crackdowns by security forces.
Amnesty International said the detention of Jamila and her child is part of a “consistent, unlawful, ruthless, and violent crackdown” on IMN members and supporters by the Nigerian state.
“The arbitrary detention of Jamila and her baby in a prison indefinitely is yet another demonstration of the Nigerian authorities’ continuous repression of dissent,” the statement added.
Since December 2015, Nigerian security forces have been repeatedly accused of using excessive force against the IMN. Amnesty noted that hundreds of IMN members have been killed, including infants, and that peaceful religious processions are often met with violence instead of protection.
“Nigerian security forces always approach peaceful processions of IMN with the intent to kill, not to maintain law and order,” the group said.
Amnesty maintained that the procession in which Jamila was arrested was peaceful and lawful, and that there was no evidence to suggest participants posed any threat.
“The unlawful detention and violent crackdown on IMN members is unjustified and unacceptable,” the statement continued. “They were perfectly within their rights to hold a religious procession and protest. There was no evidence they posed an imminent threat to life.”
The organization also decried the government’s continued failure to investigate past abuses, warning that the lack of accountability is eroding public trust in the justice system.
“The continuous failure to investigate these gross human rights violations is fueling a dangerous disdain for the sanctity of human life and the rule of law in Nigeria,” Amnesty International said.
Rights groups and legal advocates have repeatedly urged the government to halt arbitrary arrests and ensure due process, especially in cases involving women, children, and religious expression. As of the time of this report, neither the Nigeria Police Force nor the Ministry of Justice had issued a response to the renewed demands.
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