Video: Shi’ites stage pro-Iran protests in Lagos, Abuja, others
Abdullateef Fowewe
Members of Nigeria’s Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), commonly known as Shi’ites, took to the streets in Lagos, Abuja, Bauchi, and Kaduna on Friday, chanting “Death to America and Israel” in a show of solidarity with Iran following the February 2026 assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The protests, captured in widely circulated video footage, erupted amid global Shia mourning over Khamenei’s death, which Iranian officials and supporters attribute to targeted US and Israeli strikes.
Demonstrators waved Palestinian and Iranian flags, repeating anti-Western slogans like “Free Palestine” while decrying what they called imperialist aggression in the Middle East.
In Lagos, crowds gathered near key landmarks, blocking traffic and drawing a heavy security presence.
Similar scenes unfolded in Abuja’s central districts, Bauchi’s major roads, and Kaduna’s protest hotspots, with participants accusing the US and Israel of fueling regional conflicts.
The IMN, long aligned with Iran’s revolutionary ideology, framed the rallies as support for Palestinian liberation and resistance against “Zionist oppression.”
