Lai Muhammed Claims FG Spends 3.5 Million Every Month To Feed Shiites Leader, El-Zakzaky

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has claimed that the Federal Government spends N3.5 million monthly to feed Shia Muslim cleric, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who’s been in custody for three years facing trials of unlawful gathering, criminal conspiracy, and culpable homicide.

El-Zakzaky was arrested in Zaria, Kaduna in 2015 after soldiers killed over 300 members of the sect after allegedly throwing stones at the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, an act declared by the Army to be an assassination attempt.

During an invasion of his home, he was arrested and imprisoned with his wife, Zeenah, without any official court charges until he was charged to court in May 2018.

While addressing the media after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, Mohammed said the cleric is being housed at a residence where it takes millions of naira to feed him monthly.

Here is what Lai Muhammed said in the video:

“The issue of whether, where he (Mr El-Zakzaky) is, at least let’s keep it off record, that he is in a residence and you know eating at the… It costs the government about N3.5 million every month to feed him.

“We don’t want to inflame passion. The issue is a very sensitive matter. But that is the situation. The Islamic Movement of Nigeria are a different kettle of fish.”

The minister told Premium Times that he made the comments off the record but it surfaced on social media early on Thursday, November 8, drawing outrage from Nigerians.