Iran's Hezbollah Nursing Terror Groups In Nigeria
By Dawit Giorgis, Special to CNN

Nigerian authorities last month arrested four Lebanese nationals in northern Nigeria on suspicion of having ties with Hezbollah. After a raid on one of their residences yielded a stash of weapons, including anti-tank weapons, rocket propelled grenades, and anti-personnel mines, the Nigerian State Security Services (SSS) announced that the compound was hosting a terrorist cell tied to the Lebanese Shia movement. The four accused have denied the charges, and are suing the government for wrongful detention.

But even if they are found guilty, other Hezbollah nodes may well remain in Nigeria. The truth is that despite the thousands of miles that separate Nigeria from Lebanon, the country is faced with a growing threat from a Hezbollah doppelganger. The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) is a jihadist organization with strong support among the 5 million Shia Muslims, by some estimates, living in Nigeria.

Founded in the early 1980s, it has flourished with cash, military training and support from Iran. Indeed, the roots of the IMN can be traced to the immediate aftermath of the 1979 Iranian revolution, when Nigerian students belonging to the Muslim Student Society traveled to the Islamic Republic and were trained with the goal of establishing an Iranian-style revolution in Nigeria but this however was not possible because Nigeria's 173 million people is not an easy pushover. The leader of the student group was Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, a firebrand Sunni turned Shia religious extremist who was first influenced by the works of Sayyd Qutb, the intellectual force behind Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and whose ideas form the basis of al Qaeda’s ideology today.

Remarkably, Zakzaky switched sides and became an adherent of Shia Islam, encouraged by Iranian funding and training, both religious and military. Since becoming the leader of the IMN in the mid-1980s, Zakzaky has had numerous confrontations with the government, including being imprisoned for nine years. From 1981 to 1984, for example, he was jailed for sedition and for declaring he would recognize no governmental laws or authority except those of Islam.

Fast forward three decades, and Zakzaky is the patriarchal spiritual leader of Shiites in Nigeria, much like Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was in Iran. When he addresses his followers, Zakzaky typically sits under abig portrait of Ayatollah Khomeini and wields rhetoric akin to that of Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah. The subjectof his speeches are what you might expect – heated vitriol aimed at Jews and Israel, in which he portrays Jews as infidels who should be wiped off the map by Allah and encouragement of voilence towards the unbelievers(christians) .

In 1998, for example,the Shiites of Nigeria, under Zakzaky’s leadership, observed Jerusalem Day, mirroring Khomeini’s introduction of a day for expressing solidarity with the Palestinians. He also talks about social justice in Nigeria and building support for Iran’s policies in Africa.

“Iran’s objectives are to establish a local power base to exert influence over the national government and to act against Western interests,” argues Abel Assadina, a senior Iranian diplomat who defected in 2003. Certainly, under Zakzaky’s leadership, the IMN has provided Hezbollah-style military training to hundreds of Nigerians in camps throughout Northern Nigeria. And although the group has yet to launch an attack, it is surely not unreasonable to expect an attempt at some point.
As Muhammad Kabir Isa, a senior researcher at Nigeria’s Ahmadu Bello University, told the BBC: “when you embark on military drills, you are drilling with some sort of anticipation. Some sort of expectation.” And the IMN’s propaganda effort also bears a striking resemblance to that of Hezbollah. The movement has had a thriving newspaper, al-Mizan, for more than two decades.

In addition, it has also begun broadcasting its own internet- based Hausa radio station, Shuhada, on the country’s main air waves, similar to Hezbollah’s radio station, Al-Nour. IMN also has plans to start a new TV channel, a move reminiscent of Hezbollah’s al- Manar. Isa has described the movement as “a state within a state.” But this does not mean that IMN is isolated from Nigeria.
Indeed, Zakzaky has reportedly worked to ensure that his members are recruited into the army, the police force and the state security establishment.

The IMN has on several account accepted assistance from Terrorist organisations like hezbollah which gives an idea what the muslim group might be having up its sleeves. Another potential terror threat is facing Nigeria, yet backed by over 1 million shiites muslims, will Nigeria be able to face islam and squash the threat or will the opposition keep using the anti-north propaganda to allow the threat grow stronger?

http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/14/nigerias-hezbollah-problem/

[img]http://beegeagle.files./2012/04/sss-solo4.jpg[/img]
An operative of the SSS during the arrest of two shiites muslims during the attempt to assainate former military ruler

http://beegeagle./2013/02/21/sss-parades-shiite-leader-2-others-for-allegedly-spying-for-iran/

This is serious...The Government needs to brace up for these challenges..If this info is somehow real ,then we are in for a long ride .God is still supreme..He will see us thru

A clear indictment of the bogus opposition we have in this country.
Smh.

who be the doctor and where is the hospital

hmm, Nigeria of all the good things its terrorism we are copying , ok

We don hear.

rozayx5: hmm, Nigeria of all the good things its terrorism we are copying , ok

what were u expecting, when your paymaster gej is paying militants and exmilitants millions of naira per year?

four Lebanese nationals in northern Nigeria on suspicion of having ties with Hezbollah.

The Lebanese community in Nigeria has a longstanding history of dark and illegal business in Nigeria (illegal trade, drug smugling, etc,).
I think it's fundamentally important to cross-examine comprehensively Lebanese activities in the country. The Lebaneses get an official job to cover up dubious activities. Time is ripe to shed light on them before Nigeria finds itself unknowingly and unwillingly sponsoring terrorist activities and becomes disgraced internationally.

Muslims serving Arab interests, Christians serving western interest. When will Africans wake up?

What is the difference between Catholics swearing allegiance to the pope and this Zakzazy fool doing the same to the ayatollah?

this is carefully engineered media and disinformation campaign against the propective enemy of Boko Haram in Nigeria. The Western Engineers of Boko Haram and other Islamic Terrorist that topple and disintegrate nations have had a bad opposition to their plans in syria and Libya, they have the same plan for Nigeria but since Hezbolla has been a stumbling block ofr them and has shown its efficency in Syria they know it is time to blacken their image and disinform the people before the time comes. it is really working but i should say this as strange as it sounds Hezbolla are the friends of Nigerians against Boko Haram in this Situation. Nigeria will be facing the fate of Libya and Syria, and we better prepare now because our enemy has has a long time to plan his game.
[size=16pt]Shame to Nigerian Government for being part of this,
Shame to Nigeria Security Services for being so stupid to fall for this,
Shame to Nigeria Media which has been hijacked for the purpose of destroying Nigeria,
Shame to Nigerians for being silent while all these goes on,
Shame to Nigeria![/size]

I don't believe all this shite,if you want me to believe you give me some evidence.

Hmmmnn. I dey go embassy go book visa appointment . Naija I'm checking out mehn!

Ok na!

God we catch them all.

A simple deductive analogy from an outsider who thinks he knows Nigeria more than it occupants. Let see how it ends

Jst passingby..bt dis tym n0 st0ping..na 2 jst lanuch my self g0 heaven...

When the worst comes to be, there is an inevitable option - disintegration. After all the so call one Nigeria has proved to be an unworthy marriage between The Eagle and The Fish. God save us!

"west Sponsored Terrorism" Lies upon lies upon lies! Just so the can have a reason to establish an AFRICOM base in a reputable country in africa! "problem, response, solution" My version of David Ickes Revalation! He knows best!

May Allah saves 9ja 4rm d hand of d foreignerx

Islam and Muslim matter don tire me I swear. Is there any way we can sequester these people and give them a large expanse of land to freely annihilate themselves?

daywatcher: Muslims serving Arab interests, Christians serving western interest. When will Africans wake up?

What is the difference between Catholics swearing allegiance to the pope and this Zakzazy fool doing the same to the ayatollah?

Well said

Presstv no dey report this kind of news!

How plausible is this wild claim? What's in Nigeria for hezbollah and what're they planning to achieve? Most of the muslims in Nigeria are sunni's and I don't think Nigeria would be of any benefit to what hezbollah stands for. Some might argue that it's to target western interests - however why would hezbollah choose Nigeria and not one of the other unstable and defenseless countries around Africa?

Another reason there might be an element of truth to this wild claim is that Nigeria has a large Lebanese diaspora and there's money in the Nigerian system. So hezbollah might want to exploit that to establish some of its underworld illegal crime, arms and narcotics business because more time, that's how the organisation is funded due to sanctions. But I doubt it has anything to do with terrorism or killing Nigerians. Hezbollah don't roll like that.

may God deliver us frm d hands of dis blood thirsty animals in human form. Amen

GEJ should declare Nuclear war on Iran . . . .

yeye presido . . .

daywatcher: Muslims serving Arab interests, Christians serving western interest. When will Africans wake up?

What is the difference between Catholics swearing allegiance to the pope and this Zakzazy fool doing the same to the ayatollah?

Tell me when the Pope has ordered his adherents to wipe out another race/country? Tell me when the Pope has advocated for violence and bloodshed to achieve religious revolution.

People who revere the Pope carry out religious revolutions by distributing pamphlets and leaflets inviting you for religious revivals and sermons. Followers of the Ayatollah's teachings plan religious revolutions by beheading infidels like yourself

Sun of god: GEJ should declare Nuclear war on Iran . . . .

yeye presido . . .

@ the bolded.

Can Nigeria even take on Hezbollah?