custody by security agents upon their arrival in Nigeria today.The leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) and his wife were
whisked away by the security agents at the Nnamdi Azikwe International
Airport.
El-Zakzaky and wife arrived Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines by
12noon
The couple returned to the country on Friday afternoon, four days after
they traveled to the Asian country for treatment.
El-Zakzaky and his wife left Nigeria on Monday for India following a
ruling of the Kaduna State High Court which granted them permission to
be treated in the country.
On their arrival at the hospital where treatment was expected to
commence, the trip turned controversial.
The IMN accused the Nigerian government of treating their leader like a
criminal and denying him access to the doctor with whom they had an
arrangement.
They also claimed that El-Zakzaky was denied free movement and was
monitored by heavy security surveillance in India.
El-Zakzaky had also narrated his ordeal in the foreign country, saying
the condition in India was worse than that of Nigeria.
“We saw that we were practically brought to another detention facility
which is even stricter than the one we were in back in Nigeria. They
came here with police armed with guns and a lot of staff from the
Nigerian embassy. And we also noticed we were brought into another
detention that we only came based on trust.
“Even in Nigeria, they agreed where we were detained that we would be
treated only by the doctors we choose and are comfortable with allowing
to treat us. But here we understand that the doctors that advised us to
come here are blocked from having any say in our case,” the IMN leader
had said.
The Nigerian Government, in its response, denied the allegations by the
IMN and its leader.
Instead, the government accused the Shiite leader of becoming unruly at
the hospital in New Delhi and apologised to the Indian authorities.
It insisted that the allegations were “foul cry”, saying claims that
El-Zakzaky was held in circumstances worse than he was in Nigeria should
be disregarded.
The government said the IMN leader was allowed to embark on the trip
with state officials in line with the court order and his choice to be
accompanied by his aides and personal doctors were not opposed.
It added that the IMN leader chose the hospital where he was admitted in
India, but he began to display “ulterior motives” against laid down
procedures.