The Islamic Movement Of Nigeria, IMN, Is A Terrorist Organization Funded By Iran

Earlier today, I wrote about the clash between the Nigerian soldiers who accompanied the chief of army staff on his official duties in Zaria, Kaduna state, and a crowd of shia muslims from the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, led by Ibrahim El Zakzaky. Mr Zakzaky sustained bullet wounds during the clash, and is currently detained by the Nigerian army "in a very secure facility for his protection." The picture above has been circulating on social media and shows an injured Mr Zakzaky being take into the custody of the army.

Yesterday, the Iranian government, which funds the IMN, summoned the Nigerian charge d'affaires to protest the deadly force with which the Nigerian army descended on their shia muslim brethren. Most of the muslims in Iran are of the shia extraction. The Iranian foreign minister has also called his Nigerian counterpart to express grave concern over Saturday's deadly crackdown and has called for "immediate and serious action to prevent violence" against shias.

The IMN has always had a history of violence and has clashed with the Nigerian armed forces, other muslims, and even christians. Like Boko Haram, they want the islamization of Nigeria, and El Zakzaky, during his sermons conducted while sitting under the portrait of the Ayatollah Khomeini, has condemned Nigeria's (constitutionally) secular government and the (mainly sunni) muslim leaders who support the government. His venomous vitriol against Jews is also well documented.

Iran offers both financial and military support to the IMN and has trained several of its members in military drills. El Zakzaky was the leader of a group of students from the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, which he attended, who went to Iran just after the 1979 Revolution and he came back having converted from a sunni to a radicalized shia muslim. I do not believe that the military drills which members of the IMN have undergone, and most probably continue to undergo, is a fitness program; they are being prepared for some military style mission. This confrontation with the Nigerian military may just be a deliberate manoeuvre to start a Boko Haram style campaign aimed at achieving their, and islam's, ultimate goal - the imposition of islam and islamic laws wherever they can. And by whatever means.