Security sources have denied rumors concerning the health status of detained leader of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Ayatollah Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky.
There had been unconfirmed rumors over his physical condition and alleged death, which is creating tension especially among his followers and other Muslims alike, NAN reported.
The spiritual leader of Shiite Muslims is alive, hale and hearty, sources report.
A credible security source in Abuja that El-Zakzaky was alive, hale and hearty and dismissed the death rumor as the handiwork of mischief makers, who wanted to create tension and cause chaos within the polity.
The top intelligence officer said: "There Is no truth in the rumors of his death. Those carrying the rumor have taken advantage of the period of Ramadan to curry unnecessary sympathy."
The officer further recalled that the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and other top Islamic Leaders, including members of his family had in the past visited the imprisoned leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky in Abuja to confirm such death rumor.
The prominent cleric Ayatollah Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife were taken into custody on December 14, 2115, after deadly clashes between the supporters of the IMN movement and Nigerian troops.
Nearly 350 members of the Shia movement were killed in the clashes. The sheikh was brutally injured and his house was reportedly destroyed by the army in the incident.
The judge said he had given 45 days for authorities to provide new accommodation for the Zakzaky family. The accommodation is to be in the town of Zaria, Kaduna state, where the family were detained, or in other parts of the state or alternatively any other part of northern Nigeria.
Kolawole said the State Security Service would pay each of Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife $78,984 in compensation for the violation of their rights by being held in unlawful custody for nearly a year.
Nearly 100 IMN supporters were killed when Nigerian forces fired live rounds and tear gas at mourners during a peaceful march ahead of the Arbaeen mourning rituals, which mark 40 days after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam. Authorities also destroyed a number of buildings belonging to the IMN.
The Nigerian government has stepped up its crackdown on the IMN since the December 2015 deadly incident.
Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) on Wednesday, April 26, occupied the streets of Abuja, Nigeria's capital city to mark the 500 days in detention of Sheikh Zakzaky.