Protests Spread in Nigeria Over Killing Of Iranian Supreme Leader, Khamenei.
By Ahmed Musa
Pockets of protests that started in Northern Nigeria over the killing of Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei on the aftermath of US/Israel attack last week have spread to Lagos, South West Nigeria.
Members of the South West of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, on Monday stormed streets in Lagos. The protesters who converged around the Maryland axis on Monday, chanting anti -American slogans, denounced the invasion of Iran and the killing of Khamenei.
South West coordinator of IMN, Muftau Zakariya, who spoke to the media, said the protest was to register their concerns over the sustained Invasion of sovereign nations by the President Donald Trump’s administration. Zakariya cited recent instances of Venezuela’s Invasion and seizure of the country’s president and energy infrastructure.
He said the heightened and sustained attack in Kwara state is coming after the US involvement in the country’s affairs.
“I said to you that nothing good is coming from the US intervention. It is only interested in their economic gains and not minding the consequences thereafter,” Zakariya stated.
Earlier Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), popularly known as Shi’ites, led by Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, protested in Gombe, Niger, Kano, Bauchi, Yobe and Sokoto states over the killing, raising fresh concerned in Nigeria.
In Niger State, Shi’ites were also reported to have staged a similar protest, marching through parts of the state, chanting solidarity slogans and waving Iranian flags and placards with inscriptions like “We Stand With Iran,” “Free Iran,” and other anti-US and anti-Israel messages.
In a statement circulated among its supporters, the IMN expressed deep sorrow over the martyrdom of Khamenei, vowed to continue to support Iranians and resist what they termed Western interference in Middle Eastern affairs.
Meanwhile, a former Nigerian Diplomat who did not want his name in print described the strikes in Iran as “American brigandage”. “This is pure American brigandage…you attack a country and killed the top echelon of its leadership only a few months after storming Venezuela to “arrest” its president, etc. These are all despicable acts of hegemony and irresponsible show of power and dominance. These”
” American actions amount to a disruption of international order….a threat to global peace and security. Trump does not believe in multilateralism…a world where all countries work together to promote global governance through the UN and other multilateral institutions across the world. Now, see what is happening….the entire Middle East is now on the edge…the price of crude oil is going up because a major route for transporting it (Strait of Hormuz) is now unsafe for ships to pass through. Innocent citizens are being killed, etc. There are laid down international conventions and protocols for dealing with countries perceived as threatening international peace and security. Iran has been under UN sanctions for years while its nuclear programme remains under close scrutiny by the relevant UN body” But Trump says, Iran is uncooperative even when there are indications that both sides were close to a deal.”
“Trump also says Iran is a major sponsor of terrorism. Yeah, Iran supports Hezbollah but again, there are extant international procedures and protocols for dealing with such situations…putting terrorists and their sponsors under INTERPOL watch list, visa and travel bans, etc. Under extant UN Convention, no military action can be taken against another country without the EXPRESS approval of the UN Security Council…and that is usually difficult because of the veto power possessed by the 5 permanent members of the UN….US, Russia and China will always block any attempt to attack their allies. Countries therefore resort to a provision in the UN Convention that allows for unilateral military action by one country against another in SELF-DEFENCE. That is what Isreal has been doing over the years in the Middle East with the support of the US. By killing the Spiritual Leader of Iran, the US/Israel, have only escalated the crisis in the region. They have not solved any problem because the Iranian revolution/body politic is not based on individuals but founded on a strong theological ideology….dogged and fanatical and more or less suicidal in nature. Has the killing of the leaders of Boko Haram stopped the terrorist group from its incessant attacks on innocent folks? You can start a war but you can’t know how and when it will end Trump has put the global community under tension by starting a needless war” he added.
The former Diplomat called for the restructuring of the UN if the world is to experience peace. He puts it this way, ” The UN is of course helpless because of the so-called “Big 5″. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council…US, China, UK, Russia and France. Any UNSC resolution or action that does not favour them or their allies, they block it. Why is the UN helpless in the raging war between Russia and Ukraine? It is because Russia is a PERMANENT member of the UNSC so it will use its veto power to block any Council decision against its interest. And Trump/US can’t do much to end the war because both US and Russia have nuclear weapons that can annihilate mankind . Remember the concept of MAD concept in international relations? Mutually Assured Destruction. So all what US can do is to plead with the crazy Russian leader, Putin. Similarly, Russia is helpless in the senseless killing of Palestinians by Israel and the latest attack on Iran….because US is involved. That is why there is growing call for a fundamental reform of the UN that would allow countries from the global South….Nigeria, Egypt, etc to become permanent members of the UNSC in order to check the excesses of the current 5 permanent members and their veto power”.
