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The Nigerian army has confirmed the arrest of the country’s Shia leader Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky in the wake of a deadly attack on Shia Muslims in the northern city of Zaria.

On Monday, the Nigerian army in a news conference confirmed the raid on the Shia Muslims and also the arrest of Zakzaky, with Major General Adeniyi Oyebade saying, “I want to convey to you members of the Press that the Shia leader al-Zakzaky is safe and in protective custody in a very secured facility. His wife is safe and also in protective custody. In the course of time he himself will be speaking to his members.”

Yet, Ibrahim Musa, spokesman for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, gave a different account, saying the group’s leader was injured in the attack and had been unable to leave his house “because of the gunshot wounds he sustained in the indiscriminate fire soldiers opened on the house and his followers who tried to protect it.”

“We gathered he was taken to Kaduna (70 kilometres away). We got in touch with the medical doctor that is treating him who confirmed to us that our leader is critically ill from four gunshot wounds he sustained,” he said, adding that Zakzaky’s son and wife were among the victims of the assault.

This is while a photo circulating on social media appears to show Zakzaky being seriously wounded.

Earlier, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria and Zakzaky’s daughter also confirmed the detention of the top cleric.

The cleric’s daughter, Nusaiba Ibrahim Zakzaky, told Press TV in an exclusive interview on Monday, “The only thing that I could say is because my dad is trying to get people to understand… because in Nigeria people are just oppressed, people don’t have rights, the government does whatever they want to do.”

She added that Zakzaky’s efforts have been aimed at helping people understand that they have certain rights and should fight for them.

“Whoever, I guess, is in power and wants to remain that way does not want that to happen because if people understand that they have rights and they have a choice and they don’t have to live the way they are living [in Nigeria] right now, maybe their power is threatened,” Nusaiba said.

Nigerian forces raided the house of Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, on Sunday and arrested him after reportedly killing several individuals attempting to protect him, including one of the movement’s senior leaders and its spokesman.

The development followed clashes between troops and Shia Muslims in the country’s city of Zaria, in Kaduna State, on Saturday, in which at least 15 people were killed and many more injured.

Reports said soldiers opened fire on the people attending a ceremony in Hussainiyyah Baqeeyatullah, a religious centre in the northern city. The Shias had reportedly stopped the convoy of the Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai as the top Shia cleric was planning a speech in the religious centre.

Meanwhile, Iran has summoned the Nigerian Charge d’Affaires in Tehran to protest against deadly clashes between Shia Muslims in the country’s north and the army.

Iran’s foreign ministry called the violence between the military and followers of the Shia Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) “unacceptable”, the official ISNA news agency reported on Tuesday.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif had earlier contacted his Nigerian counterpart Geoffrey Onyeama to express his “deep concern” about Saturday’s events in the city of Zaria.

ISNA said at least 12 people were killed, with both sides blaming each other.

The Nigerian military said one of its convoys was attacked by followers of Ibrahim Zakzaky, the leader of the IMN.

“The sect numbering hundreds carrying dangerous weapons, barricaded the roads with bonfires, heavy stones and tyres,” an army statement said.

“The troops responsible for the safety and security of the Chief of Army Staff, on hearing explosions and firing, were left with no choice than to defend him and the convoy at all cost.”

The Iranian news agency said initial clashes were followed by an army raid on Zakzaky’s home, which left several of his followers dead.

Nigeria’s Muslim population is largely Sunni but the number of Shia Muslims has increased significantly in the past three decades.

— PressTV-Al jazeera.