Nigerian police blame Iran-backed Shia group for deadly attack

Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei (left) in a meeting with Nigeria's Shiite leader Sheik Ibrahim Yaqoub El Zakzaky in Tehran on October 14, 2023
Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei (left) in a meeting with Nigeria's Shiite leader Sheik Ibrahim Yaqoub El Zakzaky in Tehran on October 14, 2023

Nigerian police reported a deadly attack in the capital, Abuja, on Sunday, where two officers were killed and three others left unconscious following an assault by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a Shia group with strong ties to Iran.

The attack, involving machetes, knives, and improvised explosive devices, took place at a police checkpoint and was described as unprovoked by police spokesperson Josephine Adeh.

The attackers, members of the IMN, also set police vehicles on fire during the assault.

Meanwhile, the Islamic movement, in a counter statement alleged that the police attacked the Arbaeen Symbolic Trek in Abuja and killed numerous mourners. Arbaeen is a Shiite religious ceremony invented and financed by Iran's Islamic government, mainly to counter the main Sunni Muslim Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

IMN has a history of violent confrontations with Nigerian authorities and was banned in 2019 after a series of protests demanding the release of its leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has visited Iran and met with Supreme Leader Ali KHamenei.

IMN’s roots trace back to the late 1970s, inspired by Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Despite being outlawed, the group has maintained close relations with Tehran, leading to frequent clashes with Nigeria's secular government. The Nigerian army has previously accused the group of plotting to assassinate a former chief of army staff, which led to a police operation in 2015, resulting in the deaths of over 300 IMN members and the imprisonment of Zakzaky.

Sunday’s attack, condemned by Abuja’s police commissioner Benneth C. Igweh, led to several arrests. Igweh vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice, stating, "The situation is presently under control and normalcy restored."

Zakzaky, a Shiite cleric advocating for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution in Nigeria, was detained after the raid by the Nigerian Army in December 2015 and remained in custody until July 2021.

During his imprisonment, Zakzaky was charged with various crimes, including murder and unlawful assembly, charges to which he pleaded not guilty. He is also accused of receiving ideological and financial support from Iran.

Nigeria’s population of 180 million includes about 50% Muslims, predominantly Sunni, with a small Shia minority, alongside 40% Christians and 10% adherents of indigenous beliefs. The continued activities of IMN, coupled with its connections to Iran, remain a concern for Nigeria’s national security and its relationship with Western allies.