₦airaland Forum

The company disclosed this in a statement and described the discovery as a major booster to Nigeria’s oil production.

This is the second discovery I've read about this year in the state. The other one was on shore. More jobs and revenue for state in the future.

Chernobyl going to finish the series this wekend

The Ebok field handed over to Oriental Energy Resources Limited in 2007, has discovered a new oil well. The company disclosed this in a statement and described the discovery as a major booster to Nigeria’s oil production.

The indigenous exploration company said the discovery was made in two deep prospects that were identified during extensive subsurface studies in its offshore Ebok field. The Ebok Filed was first discovered by Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited in 1968.

The well has been renamed Ebok-45. It was previously called EDN-1 before the drilling. Oriental Energy Resources Limited came in possession of the Ebok field after acquisition from Mobil. It is located in Oil Mining Lease 67 approximately 55 kilometres from Akwa Ibom.

According to a report, drilling on the field began in the first quarter of 2019 on the North Fault Block of the Ebok field. The drilling started as an assessment to test the hydrocarbon potential of the deeper stratigraphic levels in the Ebok field. It was drilled in water depth of 145 feet and reached a total measured depth of 9,167 feet.

It was disclosed that 170 feet of gross oil pay were uncovered in two reservoirs with further upside, while wireline logging combined with pressure and sampling confirmed excellent reservoir and fluid characteristics from both horizons.

Speaking on the oil discovery, the Executive Chairman of Oriental Energy Resources, Muhammadu Indimi, said: “I am extremely pleased with the results of the appraisal well and I am looking forward to the early development of this new discovery.”

Also speaking on behalf of the company, the Managing Director, Ignatius Ifedayo, added:  “We are delighted to report the successful appraisal drilling programme in Ebok Deep and it serves as a great boost to Oriental Energy’s vision to grow its reserves base and production in Nigeria.

“This is also in line with the nation’s quest to increase its reserves base. This is the first significant new oil discovery by Oriental Energy Resources inside its existing development area.

“With its three assets – Ebok, Okwok and OML 115, the indigenous exploration and production company is working to maintain production through strategic reservoir and wells management, optimisation of topsides as well as development of new reserves.”

Why this matters: Oriental Energy revealed that its production had risen to 35,000 barrels of oil per day. This new oil location will, therefore, increase Nigeria’s output among oil  producing countries globally.

Source: https://nairametrics.com/2019/08/04/firm-discovers-new-oil-well-in-akwa-ibom/


L

AntiBalaka:
God will punish you for always defending your fulani criminals

Lol you're a clown and your god wont do a thing. I didnt defend anyone. I did mock them but you're too emotionally distraught to know difference.

Man this funny in satirical satirical manner. Lol friendly fire is fool. The police not only get murdered by soldiers they lose suspect and let alleged criminals escape. These police officers sound like pansies if they dont get to bottom of this.

“The soldiers thereafter released the handcuffed suspect, Alhaji Hamisu, who is now on the run,” the police said.

The case needs to be investigated by an outside department. There's clearly something rotten in Denmark.

The police on Wednesday announced the killing of three officers and severe injuries on other personnel after Nigerian soldiers opened fire on a police team in Taraba.

The incident occurred along Ibi-Jalingo Road, police said. The officers were of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

Felix Adolije, an assistant police superintendent, led the officers to the state to arrest a suspected kidnap kingpin whom the police identified as ‘Alhaji Hamisu.’

The police officers “came under sudden attack and serious shooting by soldiers of the Nigerian Army,” police spokesperson, Frank Mba, said in a statement.

The officers were taking Mr Hamisu to the Command Headquarters in Jalingo when the soldiers opened fire on them “despite sufficient proof that they are police personnel on legitimate duty,” the police said.

A civilian was also killed alongside the inspector and two sergeants by the soldiers, while an undisclosed number of others sustained injuries.

“The soldiers thereafter released the handcuffed suspect, Alhaji Hamisu, who is now on the run,” the police said.

The police identified Mr Hamisu as a notorious kidnap kingpin who has been on the police wanted list for his alleged complicity in several high-profile kidnap cases, including the recent abduction of an oil dealer in Taraba State.

The oil dealer, who was not named in the police statement, paid N100 million to regain his freedom, police said.

An assistant inspector-general has been sent to the state to coordinate treatment of the injured police officers. The remains of the deceased have been deposited in the morgue.

Inspector-General Muhammad Adama has ordered an urgent investigation into “the bizarre and unfortunate incident,” Mr Mba, a deputy police commissioner, added in the statement.

Sagir Musa, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, did not immediately return requests for comments from PREMIUM TIMES on the incident.

Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/345591-breaking-nigerian-soldiers-kill-three-police-officers-injure-others-official.html

Nowenuse:
Your analogy of the Igbo Igwe and Catholic pope does does not correlate with mine. The Igwe title is traditional and an Igbo man even though he becomes a muslim, a hindu or a buddhist, he still remains Igwe and rules over the 99% Christian Igbo masses. A northern muslim man who becomes a christian cannot become an Emir of a place that is even predominantly christian! If u fail to get this comparison and gross anomaly, then I think I give up !

Zuru or Bura people may not be able to change their religious traditional institutions because they live in states where the population is predominantly muslim and in support of this injustice. Southern Kaduna and Sayawa people of southern Bauchi were only able to break out of emirates and get their chiefdoms because they had very bloody riots and crisis with the Hausa muslims, otherwise, nothing would have happened about it till now.

If Kano state govt alone fights almajiranci, all the almajiris will simply relocate to the neighbouring states. Watch how opposition politicians in the state will start using support of almajiranci to gain massive votes and political support till the incumbency out of fear gives in.
Watch how religious leaders brainwash the masses in labelling the governor an infidel for fighting an islamic practice. See pls, have u ever lived in the north? Let me know who I'm talking with about this issue pls.
It will take a strong coalition of all political, traditional & religious leaders and many others before certain practices can be abolished in the core-north, one man cannot do it, no matter who he is, not even the Sultan alone!

The point was to say monarchy in general is dumb. The catholic anology is what fits. If you want one to one anology try greece with eastern orthodox church or crown with Anglican church.

Lol Zuru or Bura people anology is no different that igwe. You live in place 99% disagree with you on issue. Oh well chief they have reps change things Democraricly. If they let boil that far oh well.

If they take almajari oh well thats their issue. The people of those states have ability to vote clowns. The issue exist becsuse they cool with them. What's islamic about almajari cite the koran, hadith or sunnah of Muhammad. Its the easiet counter. The almajari system is Nigerian creation for most part.

Lol ow well at least he got a little publicity. He better capitalize with great song and video while the incident is freah in peoples mind. If he doesn't he wasted the buzz and money.

Nowenuse:
Yes if it will take us abolishing all traditional institutions for the religious traditional institutions to go, then so be it. It would do better for us than a system that promotes religious discrimination on it's own.

Do u know that a Hausa-fulani christian can never be an Emir since he is not a muslim even if he is the heir to the throne? If it was truly a traditional stool, his religion should never be the issue, but rather his ethnicity.
At least Hausa fulanis are predominantly muslim, what about tribes like Zuru/Bura where the majority are christians but only muslims become Emirs and represent only the muslim minority of these tribes, is that not madness?? Tomorrow now if the christian majority decides to revolt and everywhere goes up in flames with thousands of lives lost like what happened in Kaduna in the past, people will start witchunting and calling names.

Well, let us continue looking at all these nonsense and watch our country self destruct upon the alter of injustice and extremism. At the end we all suffer together.

Sanusi had the power to end Almajiranci within Kano and the region at large by influencing the state institutions and other northern traditional leaders in subtle and solution proferring manner but instead he went on full scale verbal attacks and open criticism of the entire region. He wasn't just centered on Almajiranci, rather on the entire system of the region.
Not even Kano state governor has the power to end Almajiranci with brute force.
It would take a lot of government/traditional coalition from the various states of the north with a subtle approach on the masses and religious leaders before any longtime negative practice can be abolished in the north.

You're logically consistent that's good. If you're agsinst titles of nobility (monarchy) in general that makes sense. Telling me non muslim can be emir doesn't both me because non catholic cant be pope. Non Igbo and male cant be igwe. All these institutions are the same at their core just traditional institutions the state government taxes people to uphold.

Your example about Zuba/Bura doesn't mean anything to me. If they're majority and dislike institution they should petition state to stop taxing them to uphold it. Second if they haven't revolted over it in past 30 doubt much will happen now.

You agree didn't Sanusi political power. He can lobby but not much else. Kano does have power to regulate and end it. Enforce child abondonment laws to stop new ones. Have current kids put in orphanages to be adopted. The can do talks and all that other stuff.

Ps: you dont want traditional institutions to exist so its just state.

Nowenuse:
No, it must not be up to the north to abolish it. If we must continue to share one country with this people, we must agitate that this system must be abolished because it affects the entire country negatively.
We cannot claim to be in a secular country with a secular constitution and yet a section of the country are ruled by religious leaders or political leaders who pay respect to religious authorities, that's absolute rubbish.

Good luck with that. If you want to abolish one traditional institution your going to be asked to do all. They aren't ruled by them hence why Sanusi is controlled by kano state government. Sanusi said he dislikes Almajari system why hasnt he banned it as ruler if he has political power. Everything you see wrong with state is result of elected bodies.

The state and Local government should do something. The dont because they know they can get away with it. Lol most people on this forum cant affirm to sending their own child to public school. We all know its trash for the most part.

TourismMan:
Where are we as a country?

It's where it should be based on it's actions.

Nowenuse:
As much as I have been following this debate and take your side, I must correct you on the issue of Emirs being mere traditional leaders. It supercedes that. They are religious leaders too and until we do away with this system, Nigeria will never know peace and progress.

I agree they are religious leaders. Its no different from Queen Elizabeth being both monarch and head of Church. That's up to the north to abolish there institution.

jpphilips:
Even this Sowore guy, Iran is bent on creating an Islamic state in Nigeria Elzakzaky or not.

I have clue whst soware deal is. Last vc time I read he was hanging out with Kanu. Thought he was going to do long form interview but instead this happened. I just wait to see what becomes of him like I did the former chief justice.

[s]

MossadAgent:
You are the worst kind of ignoramus because you think you are wise but are just full of sh!t


By the way, didn't read your autistic rants.

[/s]

Lol you never have comeback mumu. The second your ask to counter you like a little girl. If im ignorant prove me wrong its should be easy loser.

Is Nigeria suddenly not secular state?
Wheres your proof of the imminent invasion?

MossadAgent:
Arrant nonsense as usual.

It was the British who made it so by recognising the Amir on the throne.

Prior to the British, did they depend on any secular govt to approve their appointment?

Dundee United

Lol incoherent garbage as usual. Just like nonsense claim of invasion of Nigeria. Nigeria is a secular state clown. You would say states are monarchies because the recognize obas but make idiotic claim its Islamic state.

You last question is pointless and stupid. The point is the state approved the institution and the have no governing power and theres no state religion mumu.

MossadAgent:
You just keep displaying your ignorance.

An Amir is a religious title in Islam meaning leader of the Ummah or Muslims.

It is all rooted in Islamic doctrine and sharia law.

Have sense for once

Lol doesn't make it non secular you clown. Nigeria is secular state since religious institutions dont make laws and freedom or religion is guaranteed. You wouldn't call UK Anglican state because it funds a Christian church. You bozos need to read a book before spouting nonsense.

MossadAgent:
Are you still sleeping?

Northern Nigeria is a fundamental Islamic state complete with Amirs and home to the only surviving Sultan.


You are so vapidly dense

Ahat a stupid statement. Nigeria isnt Islamic state clown. The Emir and sultan are simply traditions cultural institutions just like obas, chiefs, Igwes etc. The constitutionally recognized state government can split and dissolve them at any time. Thats why Kano legally split up Emirate.

The only thing contentious issue in my opinion is sharia. How do you have dual legal system in country. Even then the democraticly elected state government choose to pass sharia laws they cant supersede constitution with law being null though.

OladimejiRufai:
Chai!

Where did you people get all these knowledge from?

Blue3k jpphilips

How did you people get all the history you have been sharing since?

I have interest in topics like this but my knowledge in these areas is little.

Can anyone help me? Like providing me with some interesting facts or directing me to something online I can read? I love history and topics like this

I suggest people like Ryan Dawson he's a great geopolitical analyst. I also learned some of this in highschool during AP world history. Are you interested in middle east topics i particular? Im more into articles and videos so I'll give you links on off day.

https://www.bitchute.com/channel/dawson/

Ps: avoid conspiracy clowns and resistance axis weirdos. They 2d thinkers.

Xisnin:
Not really.
Your initial comment portrays Zakzaky as some evil criminal because of its links with Iran.
You even suggested he be denied bail or put in house arrest as punishment for the unfounded crimes he allegedly wishes to commit.

Reread the comment and article. I suggested the prosecutors do better job proving case. The Nigerian government already suspected him years prior hence why diplomats mentioned it. I suggested the convince judge to release him on stringent conditions. No wonder you arguing strawmen suggesting he should be in jail for foreign aid.

He is a suspicious character in my opinion but whatever. You're free to ignore all the odd things about him.

The Nigerian government first declared the Islamic Movement a security threat in 2017, comparing it with the Boko Haram insurgency, according to Nigerian diplomats.

Xisnin:
Any point can be argued regardless of its merit.
Suspicious transactions can range from fraud to money laundering or even gifts.
However, the term is meaningless for legal purposes.
The prosecutors need to show why such a transaction is suspicious.

There is no reason why a judge should take the word of the DSS for it, let them provide
evidence of the crimes committed by Zakzaky.

At the end of the day, the court ruling does not matter since the government can refuse to obey.

One cannot but wonder why the supposed terrorist was a free man until the Buratai incident.

I said they need yo prove it thanks for agreeing. Now you seem to agree with initial comments do we've come full circle.

jpphilips:
So Nigerian army is sunni army, Saudi Arabia sponsors Boko haram & Isis to kill their Sunni backed Army, meanwhile, the same Saudi & UAE are in Yemen fighting the Shiite Ansarullah Allah to return Suni president Haidi they ousted, back to power, do you sincerely think you are making sense?
Is your brain developed enough to employ logic?

These guys are mentally challenged. As long you criticize Buhari, yoruba mudlims and sunni muslims their critical thinking and common sense flies out window. Its amazing watching the likes dissapear from Massad clowns post when they figured out he's dumb. Geopolitics is too much for them hence gravitate towards simplistic conspiracy theories with more holes than swiss cheese.

jpphilips:
Your weed is of Jamaican quality, I need a taste!

You comments will turn green. Dont fry your brain cells.

Xisnin:
Is it illegal to receive foreign aid as a Nigerian citizen?
Please cite any part of the constitution or Nigerian law that forbids it.


El Zakzaky would have been in trouble if Nigeria had made it illegal to do business with
the government of Iran.
It doesn't matter what the Iranians did or didn't do because Iran is not on trial.
But the law does not work on suppositions and no serious judge will deny a person bail
for allegedly trying to commit a crime. They would need actual evidence, not conspiracies.

In a neutral court, El Zakzaky is more innocent than Sowore.

I didnt say its illegal stop using strawman arguements. I said it can be argued it's suspicious transactions. If they have intelligence it a good reason to deny his bail because his freedom could be national security threat. Yes judges do deny bail based on suspicion like being flight risk. Yes Iran influence does come into play when dealing with national security and if you have reason to believe they're an asset to foreign state.

Its just like shutting down a business because it a front company to launder money. By you logic you'll say what wrong with owning laundry mat because you dont see nefarious dealing in background. The burden is on prosecutors to prove these allegations. Obviously they'll redact certain details but that's all. What they did who knows.

Iamgrey5:
You are a conspiracy theoriest sponsored by a Sunni organization, that is for sure!

Lol it took people a minute to release he's a dumb conspiracy theorist. The longer he talked the more idiotic the statements turned. Critical thinking is not a skill stressed anymore it seems.

Xisnin:
An actual crime has not been committed by Mr. Zakzaky.
Receiving foreign aid or hoping for a revolution are not criminal offences.

Hoping for a revolution or trying to foment violent overthrow. The Iranians overthrew Mohammad mossadegh by force in 1979. I read it as latter. Anyway recieving suspicious transactions from foreign state is enough to deny bail. Its up to then to prove it with their intelligence thats theirs national security threat.

[s]

MossadAgent:
You are naive.

The Jewish religion calls for total anarchy and subjugation of the goyim.

Jews have been behind every conflict since the beginning of the 20th century.

Their blood lust to their false god Saturn aka Satan is incomprehensible until you do a proper research on Jewish blood lusts.

Saturn is the 6th planet. It signifies Saturday - the day of the Jewish sabbath.

The polar areas of Saturn have a perplexing hexagonal vortex never seen in nature. This vortex contains the seat of Satan or rather his formerly heavenly domain.

The satanic star of the Jews is not of David but the seal of Solomon when he dabbled in Saturn worship.

The Jews of today are not God fearing.

I had to bring this up so you will know what inspires so much blood lust from the Jews and their hatred of the true living God and His son Jesus Christ.

[/s]

I dont care you inane rambling bring a coherent arguement about the topic. The United states has no plsns to invade Nigeria. They havent put one sanction on country and do weapons sales. The relations are friendly. You're just being a typical paranoid conspiracy theoriest saying they're out get us. When it doesn't happen this year or next you'll just tell us keep waiting their 6 months every year.

MossadAgent:
Lol.

You are so naive.

You are already living in a simulated Zionist controlled world.

Nigeria and Saudi Arabia which are headed by Muslim tools of Judas is a simulation of the zionist OWG.

IMN will be labelled as an international terror organization over their links with Iran to make the case that Iran sponsors global terrorism.

With that they can justify invading Iraq and also Nigeria just as they used 911 to frame Iraq and Sadam even though Sadam had no links with Osama and Al Qaeda.

Do you not see?

Or are you so blind to reason?

The Jews can easily get a Sunni to carry out a false flag terror act in Nigeria and in the West and thereby frame it on IMN and Iran.

Already that plan has began with the proscribing of IMN and labelling as a terrorist organization by the Buhari sunni govt.

Lol ok clown keep telling yourself USA is out to get you. There's no proof They're planning any sort of invasion. Its was Israel that linked Iraq to 9/11 saying they whitnessed anthrax sale thst never happened. They also supplied bad intelligence working with politicians in the office of special plans. The situation are not same.

You're just a paranoid conspiracy theoriest for the most part. You mix a few facts with go off the rails with faulty conclusions. There's no documents to cite or word from any politician. They even doing weapons deals and working with Nigeria but your saying there's an imminent invasion.

MossadAgent:
The hawks in Washington be it the neocons of the Bible totting Republican and Jewish loving side or the neoliberals of the satanic globalist Rothschild side of the DNC, all want to go to war with Iran on behalf of their Jewish masters.

This article is only attempting (lamely) to portray IMN as a terrorist organization being sponsored by Iran while ignoring the role of Israel/Amerikkka/Saudi support for Sunni terror groups like BH and ISIS.

America invaded Afghanistan and Iraq on similar trumped up charges of "terrorism".

How did that go for these two countries? Not very good you will agree.

Now, since the useful idiots in Washington can not get their people to support another Jewish war on Jewish enemies - in this case Iran, the freemason tools at the hand of Judas will wage their "freedom wars" in Nigeria which will only benefit their pockets and those of their Jewish bankers.

Do you want an Amerikkkan styled freedom war in Nigeria?

Ask Libya how that turned out.

Stop rambling talking points. The author just pointed out ties to iran. I agree US politicians are zionist and bend over in terms of foreign policy. The USA has no plans of coming to Nigeria dont just make up dumb conspiracy theories. There's no geopolitical gain for USA or Israel.

MossadAgent:
You know jack sh!t then, so let me advice you to do proper research before siding with the Sunni and Satanic Jewish narrative.

Who told you I took a side clown. You're making assumptions based off nothing. I know plenty dude. Dont get carried away because of a few factoids.

• mss inspired by Iranian revolution ok so what?
• mss sponsored attacks in us for was only interesting fact.
• the rest of information either irrelevant to me or known. Who doesnt know saudi Arabia funds terrorists.

Asnafsaeed:
Mtswww! Don't let anyone deceive you, the Shiites are not even up to 7% of the Muslim population in Nigeria.. it's just the media hype that is giving them an undue public attention, I dare anybody to mention one public figure in the government since the inception of nigeria that is a Shiite

Politically and population wise, shiite can never be a threat to the core north bcuz of their paltry numbers. People even went as far as saying that Atiku will divide buhari's votes in the north cuz of shiite, he couldn't even get 25% of votes in kano where they are mostly based

The shia population is much smaller than sunni anyway. If Iran was serious about getting converts they fund more orphanages for almajari then wait for demographic shift to occur naturally.

Lol zionist larper you dont me. Im neither of those things. I dont know why you clowns make baseless assumptions.

1. Nope
2. N/A
3. N/A
4. N/A but yes muslims in Nigeria know difference just like Christians know diffence between demonizations.
5. Nope
6. Nope but that's interesting.
7. Who cares did they participate in violent acts.

MossadAgent:
I know you are a Muslim and an Oyoruba, so let me ask the following :

1. Where you at any time a member of the Muslim Student Society, MSS?

2. Do you know who floated the organization?

3. Do you know who was the inaugural chairman of MSS?

4. Did you know if you were Sunni or Shiite before Buhari came with his divisiveness?

5. Are you aware that the MSS was inspired by the Iranian Islamic revolution that saw Ayatollah Khomeini come to power?

6. Are you aware that the MSS was at the forefront staging violent protests across the North demanding for inclusion of Sharia law in the 1979 constitution?

7. Are you aware that the likes of El Rufai, Amir District Head Sanusi , current Sharia CJN, Tanko and many notable northern figures today were all members of MSS at the time violent riots were being staged?

MossadAgent:
What I don't understand is why the useless Jewish tool (Matthew Page) did not highlight the role of Saudi Arabia in sponsoring violent Islamic terrorist organizations in Nigeria like BH and ISIS.

Blue3k answer this now.

Its pretty widely known Saudi Arabi sponsors salfi jihadist all over the world.

Matthew Page, a former U.S. State Department specialist on Nigeria. The Islamic Movement has been receiving about $10,000 a month from Iran, he estimated.

Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of London-based consultants Cornerstone Global Associates estimated that Mr. El-Zakzaky’s organization operates more than 300 schools, Islamic centres, a newspaper, guards and a “martyrs’ foundation.”

It's strange very few people mention the IMN links with Iran. I didnt know his history until omohayek actually mentioned it. The dude did try start Iranian style revolution so, it's no surprise the FG is wary of him. From what I was told Iran doesn't have muxh sway in Africa unless Turkey helps out. If they're able to move 10k for charity I do think they can do same for other clandestine activities.

I just dont understand why if they have all this information available about him the court would give him bail. The prosecution must be bad at their jobs. They can release him, put him on house arrest, have him wear ankle moniter and ban social media use.

By James M Dorsey

A recent ban on a militant, Iranian-backed Shiite group raised the spectre of the Saudi Iranian rivalry spilling onto Nigerian streets as security forces launched a manhunt to find the alleged Boko Haram operatives who killed 65 people attending a funeral.

Nigeria, Africa’s foremost oil producer, banned the Iranian-backed Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) this weekend after demonstrations in the capital Abuja to free its leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky turned violent. At least six people were killed.

“The Saudis watching the Iranians trying to break into northern Nigeria is almost like watching someone else try to befriend your best friend,” said Ini Dele-Adedeji, a Nigerian academic at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, referring to the region’s religious elites that have aligned themselves with the kingdom.

Saudi cables released in 2015 by WikiLeaks reveal concern about Iranian-funded Shiite expansion in West African and Sahel nations including Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

Mr. Dele-Adedji said Saudi and Iranian funding was “on the surface…about these countries helping out with ‘charitable work’ activities. But beyond that it’s also a way for those countries to almost create extensions of themselves.”

Mr. El-Zakzaky, a Sunni Muslim student activist inspired by the 1979 Iranian revolution, initially agitated for a repeat in his native Nigeria. When that didn’t work, Mr. El-Zakzaky went to Iran, converted to Shiism, and started wearing the white turban of a Shiite cleric.

Returning home in the 1990s, he became the leader of the Islamic Movement and turned it into a vehicle for proselytizing and gaining followers.

Things got out of hand when Nigerian troops killed hundreds of Shiites in the ancient university town of Zaria in December 2015 and arrested Mr. El-Zakzaky and hundreds of his followers. The army accused the Shiite group of attempting to kill Nigeria’s army chief-of-staff, a charge the movement denies.

Iran has been funding Mr. El-Zakzaky for years and the area of Zaria he worked in became the “mecca for the dispossessed in Nigeria,”according to Matthew Page, a former U.S. State Department specialist on Nigeria. The Islamic Movement has been receiving about $10,000 a month from Iran, he estimated.

Mr. El-Zakzaky used the money to fund soup kitchens and homeless shelters, Mr. Page said. “This was a very inexpensive way for Iran to have a toehold in Nigeria,” he said.

Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of London-based consultants Cornerstone Global Associates estimated that Mr. El-Zakzaky’s organization operates more than 300 schools, Islamic centres, a newspaper, guards and a “martyrs’ foundation.”The network is similar to welfare systems established elsewhere by Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups.

The Nigerian government first declared the Islamic Movement a security threat in 2017, comparing it with the Boko Haram insurgency, according to Nigerian diplomats.

Peregrino Brimah, a trained medical doctor who teaches biology, anatomy and physiology at colleges in New York never gave much thought while growing up in Nigeria to the fact that clerics increasingly were developing links to Saudi Arabia.

“You could see the money, the big ones were leading the good life, they ran scholarship programs. In fact, I was offered a scholarship to study at King Fahd University in Riyadh. I never thought about it until December 2015 when up to a 1,000 Shiites were killed by the military in northern Nigeria. Since I started looking at it, I’ve realized how successful, how extraordinarily successful the Wahhabis have been.” Mr. Brimah said.

He decided to stand up for Shiite rights after the incident in which the military arrested Mr. El-Zakzaky.

The Nigerian military said that it had attacked sites in Zaria after hundreds of Shia demonstrators had blocked a convoy of Nigeria’s army chief General Tukur Yusuf Buratai in an effort to kill him.

Military police said Shiites had crawled through tall grass towards General Buratai’s convoy “with the intent to attack the vehicle with [a] petrol bomb” while others “suddenly resorted to firing gunshots from the direction of the mosque.”

A phone call to Nigerian President Mohammed Buhari in which King Salman expressed his support for the government’s fight against terrorist groups was widely seen as Saudi endorsement of the military’s crackdown on the country’s Shiite minority.

The state-owned Saudi Press Agency quoted King Salman as saying that Islam condemned such “criminal acts” and that the kingdom in a reference to Iran opposed foreign interference in Nigeria.

Mr. Brimah’s defense of the Shiites has cost him dearly, illustrating the degree to which Saudi-funded ultra-conservatism and Iranian agitation has altered Nigerian society.

“I lost everything I had built on social media the minute I stood up for the Shiites. I had thousands of fans. Suddenly, I was losing 2-300 followers a day. My brother hasn’t spoken to me since. The last thing he said to me is: ‘how can you adopt Shiite ideology?’ I raised the issue in a Sunni chat forum. It became quickly clear that these attitudes were not accidental. They are the product of Saudi-sponsored teachings of serious hatred. People don’t understand what they are being taught. They rejoice when a thousand Shiites are killed. Even worse is the fact that they hate people like me who stand up for the Shiites even more than they hate the Shiite themselves,” Mr. Brimah said.

In response to Mr. Brimah’s writing about the clash, General Buratai invited him for a chat. Mr. Brimah politely declined. When Mr. Brimah reiterated his accusation, General Buratai’s spokesman, Colonel SK Usman, adopting the Saudi line of Shiites being Iranian stooges, accused the scientist of being on the Islamic republic’s payroll.

“Several of us hold you in high esteem based on perceived honesty, intellectual prowess and ability to speak your mind. That was before, but the recent incident…and subsequent events and actions by some groups and individuals such as you made one to have a rethink. I was quite aware of your concerted effort to smear the good name and reputation of the Chief of Army Staff to the extent of calling for his resignation,” Colonel Usman said in an email to Mr. Brimah that the activist shared with this writer.

General Buratai “went out of his way to write to you and even invited you for constructive engagement. But because you have dubious intents, you cleverly refused…. God indeed is very merciful for exposing you. Let me make it abundantly clear to you that your acts are not directed to the person of the Chief of Army Staff, they have far reaching implication on our national security. Please think about it and mend your ways and refund whatever funds you coveted for the campaign of calumny,” Colonel Usman said.

Mr. Brimah’s inbox has since then been inundated with anti-Shiite, anti-Iranian writings in what he believes is a military-inspired campaign.

Mr. Brimah’s predicament reflects the fallout of the Saudi Iranian rivalry in West Africa as a result of Saudi and Iranian funding that has let the genie of intolerance, discrimination and bigotry out of the bottle.

Issoufou Yahaya, in the Sahel state of Niger, recalls his student days in the 1980s when there wasn’t a single mosque on his campus. “Today, we have more mosques here than we have lecture rooms. So much has changed in such a short time,” he said.

Source: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2019/08/02/saudi-iranian-rivalry-polarises-nigerian-muslims/