Nigerian Police, Shi'ite Muslim Protesters Clash for Second Day
Police fired tear gas at Shi'ite Muslim protesters Tuesday in the Nigerian capital of Abuja during a second day of clashes with demonstrators who are demanding the release of their religious leader.
Shi'ite leader Ibrahim Zakzaky has been imprisoned without being charged since December 2015.
Scores of protesters were arrested Tuesday by armed police, according to Deji Adeyanju of Concerned Nigerians, a civil society organization that is participating in the protests. "The more they attack, the more [we] come out," Adeyanju said.
Police did not immediately comment on Tuesday's protests.
Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), has been in government custody since troops and his supporters clashed in the city of Zaria in December 2015. He remains in jail despite court orders that he be released.
The IMN and the government have been in conflict for years as the IMN seeks to encourage a revolution in northern Nigeria, where Sunni Muslims are the majority.
Zakzaky's followers and police also clashed Monday in the capital, resulting in the arrests of at least 115 people.