Israeli envoy accuses Iran of sponsoring Islamic movements to spread terror in Nigeria

Israel’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has accused the Iranian government of financing and backing Islamic movements in Nigeria as part of a broader campaign to export terrorism across the globe.

Freeman made the allegation on Friday during an interview on AriseTV, identifying the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), also known as the Shi’ites, as one of the groups operating under Iranian sponsorship.

We know there are certain movements, for example, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, that is sponsored and backed by the Iranian regime,” he said.

The envoy alleged that Tehran’s reach extends well beyond Nigeria, describing Iran’s decades-long hostility toward Israel and the West as a sustained, state-directed terror campaign.

“For 47 years, Iran has had a policy of death to Israel, death to America. Its entire apparatus, its state structure, has been sponsoring terrorism, sponsoring organizations around the world to kill Israelis, Jews, to spread terror,” Freeman said, adding that “Nigeria has been on the receiving end of terrorism from Iran.”

His remarks come against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Middle East following coordinated US-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets, which reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei alongside members of his family. The strikes triggered protests across several Nigerian states on Monday, with IMN members demonstrating in Lagos, Kano, Niger, Sokoto, Gombe, Kaduna, Bauchi, and Yobe. Demonstrators waved Iranian flags, displayed portraits of Khamenei, and carried placards condemning both the United States and Israel.

Freeman also cited Iran’s alleged sponsorship of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, as well as attacks linked to Tehran in Argentina, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Nigeria, describing Iran as “an international sponsor of terror.”

On Iran’s nuclear programme, Freeman insisted that defensive military action is not only justified but a moral imperative.

“When a country says that they want to destroy you and they are trying to build a nuclear weapon, it’s absolutely justified. Not only is it justified, it’s a moral obligation,” he said.

Freeman further signalled Israel’s willingness to support Nigeria in containing any terror spillover, referencing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s offer to partner with Abuja on security matters.

Iran’s ambassador to Nigeria, Mahdavi Raja, had on Thursday defended Tehran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes on US military bases in Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait, describing the action as within Iran’s rights.

Culled from vanguard