Nigeria Shia group members released

One hundred members of the outlawed Muslim Shia group, Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) have been acquitted by a high court in Nigerian city of Kaduna.

They are the last group out of 200 members detained since 2015 and accused by the Kaduna state government of violence-related offences.

The pro-Iranian has described the acquittal and release of its members by the court as a ‘’victory for truth and justice against tyranny and impunity’’.

They were among those arrested during a military crackdown in which more than 300 others were killed in the northern city of Zaria in 2015.

The military had accused them of attempting to assassinate Nigeria’s army chief when they blocked a major road on which his convoy was travelling.

But the leader of the Muslim Shia group Sheikh Ibrahim el-Zakzaky and his wife are still in detention facing charges of culpable homicide and inciting violence.

Since the 2015 violence, there have been frequent clashes between IMN members and the police in several cities including the capital, Abuja.

They have held several protests demanding the release of Sheikh el-Zakzaky.