The gunshots caused widespread panic in the area.
There is palpable tension in Kaduna state where Police operatives are firing shots into the air to disperse members of the Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky- led Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shi’ites, who stormed the streets to protest the continued detention of their leader.
The protest is coming as other Shiites are protesting simultaneously in Abuja.
El-Zakzaky and his wife Hajiya Zeenat Ibrahim among some other members of the group are facing charges in Kaduna State High Court and Magistrate Court respectively after being arrested in December 2015 following clash with the military in Zaria.
The Shi’ite members in their thousands, composed mainly of young men and women, commenced the protest immediately after the Friday Jumaat prayer along Kano road by shouting “Allahu Akbar , free our leader”.
As they approached Ahmadu Bello Way, they were immediately accosted by security agencies who shot several canisters of teargas into the sky, forcing the protesters to scamper in different directions.
The gunshots caused widespread panic in the area.
It is unclear at the time of filing this report if there are casualties recorded.