Scores of Shia Muslims in Nigeria staged a pro-Iran rally on Friday, carrying images of the late Ayatollah and chanting “Shame to America” despite a heavy security presence in the capital.
About 200 faithful gathered after afternoon prayers at the Abuja National Mosque, chanting anti-Israel and anti-US slogans, an AFP reporter at the scene observed, as the two nations continued their bombardments of Iran, which began two weeks ago.
“Shame to America, shame to Israel,” the protesters shouted while police officers maintained a vigilant presence at the mosque.
The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), which organised the protest, is a pro-Iran group of Shias, who are a minority among Nigeria’s Muslim population.
The crowd, which appeared to catch security forces off-guard by gathering inside the mosque grounds, dispersed after about 15 minutes.
The IMN has been banned by Nigerian authorities for advocating an Islamic revolution in the West African nation. However, at the time of its proscription in 2019, researchers described the group as more focused on protest than political violence.
Earlier this month, on March 1, the IMN led marches through major cities in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, immediately following the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign that killed Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and triggered heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Last week, the US embassy in Nigeria temporarily closed “due to the potential” for unspecified “protests,” after the IMN attempted to stage demonstrations that were deterred by security forces.
On Friday morning, traffic into Abuja was at a standstill as checkpoints and heightened security slowed vehicles entering the city.
The Nigerian government has, at times, cracked down harshly on the IMN, including during clashes at a protest last year that left 11 protesters and one soldier dead, according to an intelligence report obtained by AFP at the time. Authorities, protesters, and rights groups continue to dispute what sparked the violence.
