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Kaduna Shi'ite sect that has been declared an unlawful society by the kaduna state Government vowed on Saturday to challenge the ban.

Kaduna Shi'ite sect that has been declared an unlawful society by the kaduna state Government vowed on Saturday to challenge the ban. The Shiite group under the name, Islamic Movement in Nigeria came to prominence when its members clashed with the army in the northern city of Zaria, Kaduna state, in December 2015. The sect has recorded several clashes and unrest in the state for the past 20 years. Residents of the ancient city of Zaria have been under siege by the unpeaceful activities movement for decades. The Kaduna state government on Friday said anyone convicted of being a member of the sect could be imprisoned for seven years, fined or both. The size of the fine was not mentioned. Diplomats and security analysts say the violence risked spawning a radical Shi'ite militant wing, just as the Boko Haram uprising began in 2009. Many experts see this ban as timely and necessary, in order to avert the recurrence of the Bokoharam insurgency. The Shi'ite sect's leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, has been held in custody by Nigeria's security agency since his December arrest following the clashes. His supporters have called for his release. The Kaduna state government said the group had "overtly continued with unlawful processions" and "obstruction of public highways" since the clashes. "These acts, if allowed to go unchecked will constitute danger to the peace, tranquillity, harmonious coexistence and good governance of Kaduna state," it said, declaring the group unlawful with immediate effect. A spokesman for the sect, Ibraheem Musa, said its members were not going to be intimidated into resorting to violence. "Very soon, we shall challenge this ban through legal and peaceful means," he said. Members of the sect are among the few thousand Shi'ite Muslims whose movement was inspired by the 1979 Revolution in Iran. The majority of the tens of millions of Muslims in Africa's most populous nation of 180 million inhabitants are Sunnis.