The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shi’ites, led by Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, protested in Gombe, Niger, Kano, Bauchi, Yobe, and Sokoto states yesterday because Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, was killed in a joint US-Israeli attack.
The Nigeria Police Force has told all the Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to keep a closer eye on things across the country, according to Daily Trust.
The Force told them to give special attention to the North Central, North East, and North West of Nigeria because of tensions in the Middle East.
Shiites and Iran are united by their shared faith, religious leaders, history, and sense of global identity. Iran is the symbolic and practical center of Shi’a Islam.
Security forces in Nigeria have always reacted to the IMN’s calls for its supporters in the North to stand with Iran at any incident.
Shi’ite protests were also reported in the states of Kano, Bauchi, and Yobe yesterday.
Yesterday, members of the IMN peacefully protested in Gombe against Khamenei’s death.
After praying, they met up and marched from their religious center in the Tudun Wadan Pantami district of Gombe metropolis.
They held up signs with messages condemning the event and calling for justice.
Sheikh Muhammad Abbari Gombe, who spoke for the protesters, said that the US-Israeli attacks on Iran were bad and should not have happened.
He told his fans to be calm and follow the law, and to keep expressing their opinions in peaceful ways.
The protestors said they were protesting to voice their complaints and demonstrate support for Iran.
During the parade, there were security guards in some parts of the city.
Shi’ites in Niger State also held a similar protest yesterday. They marched around areas of the state, screaming slogans of support and carrying Iranian flags and signs with messages like “We Stand With Iran,” “Free Iran,” and other anti-US and anti-Israel sentiments.
The IMN sent out a statement to its supporters saying how sad they were over Khamenei’s death. They promised to keep supporting Iranians and fight what they called Western intervention in Middle Eastern matters.
In the similar way, several Muslims in Sokoto State were claimed to have protested Khamenei’s death by screaming slogans and holding up signs.
IGP watches over N/Central, N/East, and N/West
After members of the IMN protested, the acting Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, told all the Commissioners of Police in the states and the Federal Capital Territory to increase surveillance across Nigeria, according to a statement from the Force’s spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin.
Disu told the CPs to pay special attention to the North Central, North East, and North West of the country because of what was going on in the Middle East because of the US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran.
The acting IGP told the police commissioners to work more closely with religious and traditional authorities to improve surveillance and intelligence gathering.
He also told them to make policing more visible near places of worship and public spaces, and to quickly deal with anyone or group that tries to use world events to stir up unrest or sectarian conflict.
The statement said, “The Inspector-General of Police, Ag. IGP Olatunji Disu, reassures all Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force will always protect lives, property, and national peace, especially now that tensions are rising in the Middle East and could have global effects.”
“While Nigeria’s internal security situation is stable and firmly under control, the Force has stepped up proactive, intelligence-led policing measures across the country.
The Ag. IGP has told all of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory’s Police Commissioners to pay extra attention to the North West, North East, and North Central zones. They should increase surveillance and intelligence gathering, work more closely with religious and traditional leaders, make policing more visible around places of worship and public spaces, and quickly deal with anyone or any group that tries to use global events to stir up unrest or sectarian tension.
“The Nigeria Police Force says again that Nigeria will not be a place where foreign conflicts happen.” The law will come down hard on anyone who tries to bring outside religious or ideological conflicts into the country.
“IGP Disu asks community leaders all over the country to keep working for peace and tells citizens to stay calm, alert, and follow the law. They should also report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station.”
The National Islamic Center tells the FG to cancel the military pact with the US and Israel.
The Ummah Movement, which is based in the National Islamic Center (NIC) in Dogarawa, Zaria, is shocked that the United States of America and the Zionist State of Israel launched joint military strikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran on Saturday.
In a statement yesterday, the NIC’s National Amir, Professor Muhammad Babangida, said it was sad that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump chose the holy month of Ramadan to attack Iran. They had already killed more than 70,000 people in their joint genocide on Gaza.
It asked the Nigerian government to speak out against the violence and cancel any military agreements it may have had with the US and Israel.
It also told all Muslim countries in the Middle East to close all US military posts in their countries and send US servicemen home to bring peace back to the area.
The NIC said, “Muslim countries and their ruling regimes should know that only their quick action against the US and Israel can stop the world from going to war again, which will inevitably bring Russia and China into the fight on the side of Iran, as the war threatens to choke the Gulf’s global fuel supply artery.”
The NIC said, “We regret to say that the US and Israel started this planned and unfair war, mostly to change the government, while pretending to be in “negotiations” with Iran in Geneva. This could lead to a regional and possibly global conflict with no end in sight.
The Ummah movement strongly condemns this unwarranted attack on Iran and the killing of its top leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and other leaders. This is a cowardly move that sets a bad example for how countries should fight each other. The USA and Israel, who are the “Grand Promoters of Genocide in Gaza,” don’t care about human rights or international laws and conventions while they are trying to expand their power.
The Nigerian Embassy in Kuwait warns its people
After a viral video showed Nigerians living in Kuwait apparently spotting several missiles during US-Israeli attacks on Iran, the Nigerian Embassy in Kuwait has told Nigerians living in Kuwait and Bahrain to stay alert and follow safety instructions from local authorities because of the rising tensions in the Middle East.
Yesterday, the embassy’s official Instagram account tweeted a circular asking Nigerians in both countries to be calm, accept official declarations from the Kuwaiti and Bahraini governments, and follow all safety rules.
It said it was keeping a careful eye on the situation and staying in touch with Nigerian community leaders to make sure they got timely information and help.
Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic scholar from Kaduna, also spoke out yesterday. He called the dead Iranian leader “a lucky soul” who died defending those who were being oppressed.
Gumi wrote on his verified Facebook page that Khamenei’s death happened during what he called a “Jihad against killers of innocent children and women in Gaza and elsewhere.”
Gumi commented, “A lucky soul, he died in Jihad against killers of innocent children and women in Gaza and elsewhere.”
He also said that the late Iranian leader’s blood “will fuel the change in the ummah,” and he pointed out that Khamenei “stood firmly for justice and didn’t hide in bunkers.”
The cleric also said, “Let’s see what those who killed him or helped kill him will do in this world.”
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