On 18 July 2007, Shia community was persecuted in the region at by Nigerian security forces,[2] following the death of Umaru Danmaishiyya, a popular Salafi cleric in Sokoto, who was well-known in Sokoto for his sermons against Shias.[3] After that, Qasim Umar Sokoto was violently arrested along with hundreds of members of Shia community of Sokoto, but was set free by the courts in 2014 after a tortuous court case.[4] Since then, He delivered many lectures in Islamic ceremonies and also peaceful rallies.[5]