ABUJA, April 16 (Xinhua) -- One protester was shot dead following a skirmish between police and demonstrators in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Monday, witnesses and local sources said.
The march for the release of Shi'ites leader in Nigeria turned violent when the protesters pelted a team of anti-riot police in Abuja.
The police had prevented the protesters from entering the Unity Fountain in the highbrow Maitama area of Abuja, where they held their previous protests.
Police authorities had banned open protests or meetings at the Unity Fountain last Friday, citing a prevention of security breach.
The Unity Fountain, a major landmark in Abuja and a public green park now commonly used only for human rights and civic activities by protesting groups, was seen to be heavily manned by the police operatives carrying out the official order before the violence erupted.
The anti-riot police team used water cannon and tear gas against the demonstrators who hurled stones and clubs at a police vehicle during the protest.
Some of the policemen also shot sporadically in the air to disperse the defiant protesters.
The deceased protester was reportedly shot in the head while fleeing the scene, said a witness.
A bullet fired by a policeman was also said to have pierced the window of a government agency in the area.
The Shi'ites, also known as members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, were demanding the release of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who was arrested and kept in secret police custody since December 2015 after some of his followers clashed with soldiers in the northwestern state of Kaduna.
The Shi'ites had taken over the streets of Abuja since last Friday in the wake of its latest protest for El-Zakzaky's release. Enditem
