Clashes during a Nigerian Shiite demonstration left 12 dead: Reports.

A dozen people were killed in clashes between protestors and officials during a Shiite group march in Nigeria, according to a government intelligence report seen by AFP on Saturday.

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) conducted a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the capital Abuja on Friday, and eleven demonstrators and one military were murdered, according to reports.

Amnesty International’s Nigeria section said that troops fired live bullets at the demonstrators.

The IMN has been declared illegal by Nigerian authorities for supporting an Islamic revolution in the West African country. However, at the time of its suspension, in 2019, scholars described it as more concerned with protest than political violence.

The march in Abuja and other Nigerian towns commemorated Quds Day, which is observed worldwide with pro-Palestinian rallies.

IMN stated on social media that the Nigerian Army “attacked the procession and several people sustained gunshot injuries,” but did not provide a toll.

According to the intelligence assessment, 19 persons were injured, while 295 others were arrested. One soldier was also hurt.

The Nigerian army and police did not reply to a request for comment.

Amnesty International Nigeria recognized the demonstrators as “completely within their rights to hold a religious procession,” adding that “there was no evidence they posed an imminent threat to life.”

The intelligence assessment stated that the flying of flags at the rally undermined Nigeria’s sovereignty.

Two law enforcement officers were slain in August during an attack by IMN members, according to authorities.

In July 2021, after more than five years in jail, IMN leader Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife were freed by a court in Kaduna, in the country’s north.

Zakzaky, a Shiite preacher, has consistently advocated for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution in Nigeria, although the Muslim population is primarily Sunni.

The IMN was inspired by Iran’s Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s and continues to maintain close links with Tehran.