By our reporter 6.3.2026
Iran has been accused of being a major sponsor of terrorism in Nigeria.
This charge was made by the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, during an interview on Arise TV Friday. He said Iran is expanding its influence through extremist groups in Nigeria.
“We know that there are certain movements, for example, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, which is sponsored and backed by the Iranian regime, And this is not me saying this we’ve seen that documented by the Iranian regime itself.
“Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader, posted on X, his support and his backing. So that’s very open. There are other areas as well that Iran is working to destabilise, not only Nigeria, but all of West Africa.”
Israel and its major ally USA are currently waging a war against the Islamic Republic of Iran, seeking for a regime change. Mr. Freeman said Iran remain a threat to the entire Middle East.
“For 47 years, Iran has had a policy of ‘death to Israel, death to America,’” he said.
“Its entire state structure has been sponsoring terrorism, sponsoring organisations around the world to kill Israelis, to kill Jews, to spread terror.
“We’ve seen Iran spreading terror, developing a ballistic missile programme and a nuclear programme. When a country says it wants to destroy you and they are trying to build a nuclear weapon, it’s absolutely justified indeed, it is a moral obligation to take the action needed to stop a country, in this case Iran, who wants to destroy Israel.”
He added that Israel and Nigeria are enjoying a good relationship.
“Nigeria and Israel are strong allies and strong friends. We work together on many areas. As Prime Minister Netanyahu said, we are willing and eager to partner with Nigeria according to Nigeria’s needs and desires in order to help tackle instability,” he said.