The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) says it has uncovered a fresh plot hatched by the hawks in the security agencies in a desperate move to associate violence and terror to its name.

Ibrahim Musa, President of IMN Media Forum, said on Monday: “According to this devilish plot, some people will be publicly displayed to the media and be accused of teaming up with armed bandits of Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State to stage a terror attack in the name of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria.”

According to Musa in a statement, “It is not surprising that security agencies will desperately go to any length in their attempts at portraying Islamic Movement as a terror group, seeing that they have woefully failed in previous attempts simply because violence is not just in the character of the Islamic Movement.

“Recently, certain faceless groups were contracted to dish out press releases in the name of civil rights groups calling for the declaration of the Islamic Movement as a terror group without basis. Perhaps they now seek a change in tactics, whereby paid agents would be made to carry out the terror attacks and attribute it to the Movement.

“Sheikh Zakzaky has never employed the use of violence as a means of reawakening people to their Islamic responsibilities. He has unequivocally made it known to all and sundry that the use of weapons is the last resort of those that have no conviction of their cause. That is why in the last four decades the Movement has never attacked anybody. Adherents and supporters of the Movement have always been the victims of some of the most heinous attacks by those that cannot stand our logical reasoning, including state security agents.

“We once again call on those trying to desperately depict us as lawless, violent and unruly to allow our actions to speak for us. The fact that we abhor the use of weapons in our activities is sufficient proof to negate the ugly description they are trying to ascribe to us.

“Nonetheless, we will not relent on our efforts to see that government obeys court judgement that sets our Leader free. The ploy to use Kaduna State afterthought trial of Sheikh Zakzaky to change the narrative will not be acceptable to the public. The Buhari-led administration must therefore heed to the call of the world by obeying the rule of law and release Sheikh Zakzaky, his wife and the hundreds others still in detention since December, 2015.”