Shiites wounded in Nigerian military raid dying in detention, charges spokesman

LAGOS, Nigeria – Nigeria's Shiite Islamic Movement says members wounded in military raids are dying in detention for lack of medical care.

Spokesman Ibrahim Musa also says the Kaduna state government is destroying property of the group, which has millions of followers, including schools and shrines.

The allegations come as the guardian of Nigeria's Muslims, the Sultan of Sokoto, warned the government against actions that could radicalize and create another insurgency in a country that already has lost 20,000 lives to the Boko Haram Islamic uprising.

Human rights activists say Nigerian troops killed many hundreds of Shiites in raids in the northern town of Zaria on Dec. 12 through 14. The army says it acted after Shiites tried to block the convoy of Nigeria's army chief — a charge the Shiites deny.