3 killed as Nigerian security forces attack Ashura mourners in Kaduna

At least three people have been killed and many others injured after Nigerian security forces attacked Ashura mourners in Kaduna during a procession on Tuesday, according to local media reports

The dead persons were the members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).

On Monday the police had warned the group that ''all gathering or procession by the group remains ultimately illegal and will be treated as a gathering in the advancement of terrorism''.

It said the IMN has been proscribed and declared a terrorist group and that its activities are outlawed.

The Shi'ite group defied the warning of the police and embarked on its procession across the country.

It held a march in Abuja which was largely peaceful, but reports of the procession from other parts of the country paint a gory picture.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Police has clarified on Tuesday that the ban on procession is applicable to IMN members only.

"Following the deluge of inquiries concerning the ban on procession on the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), it has become absolutely imperative to clarify that the ban on processions is applicable to members of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria only," it said in a statement.

"Muslims marking the commemoration of "Ashura" throughout the country along with other Muslims across the world are free to carry out the annual "Ashura" procession.

"They should, however, do so within the confines of the law and guard against infiltration by unscrupulous elements who may want to take advantage of the event to cause disruption of the public peace, order, and security.

"The IGP has directed all CPs & their respective supervisory AIG of Police in Commands and Zones to give full effect to the above clarifications and ensure that non-IMN Muslims are not in any way restricted from exercising their freedom of religion, worship, and peaceful assembly."

Confrontations between the Shi'ite group and the police, resulting in loss of lives and property, have become frequent since the detention of its leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.