Two Nigerian police officers were tragically killed and three others left unconscious in a violent attack perpetrated by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) in the nation’s capital on Sunday.
The IMN, a Shi’ite group outlawed by the Nigerian government in 2019, launched an unprovoked assault on a police checkpoint, wielding dangerous weapons such as machetes, improvised explosive devices, and knives.
In addition to the casualties, the attackers set fire to several police vans.
The IMN has been involved in numerous violent protests demanding the release of its detained leader, El Zakzaky.
The group has faced accusations of attempting to assassinate a former chief of army staff, leading to a deadly retaliation by Nigerian forces in 2015 that resulted in the deaths of over 300 IMN members.
El Zakzaky himself was imprisoned for six years before being released in 2021.