Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), popularly known as Shi’ites, led by Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, yesterday, Sunday, March 1, 2026, protested in Gombe, Niger, Kano, Bauchi, Yobe and Sokoto states over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a joint US-Israeli airstrike.

This is even as the Nigeria Police Force has ordered all the Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to heighten surveillance across the country.

The Force directed them to pay a particular attention to the North Central, the North East and the North West of Nigeria amidst tensions in the Middle East.

Shiites and Iran are connected by shared faith, religious leadership, history and a common sense of global identity, with Iran acting as the symbolic and practical hub of Shi’a Islam.

Security agencies in Nigeria have always responded to the IMN’s mobilisation of its members in the North for solidarity with Iran on any event.

Protests by the Shi’ites were also reported in Kano, Bauchi and Yobe States yesterday.

Members of the IMN held a peaceful demonstration in Gombe on Sunday over Khamenei’s killing.

They gathered after observing prayers, marched from their religious centre in the Tudun Wadan Pantami area of Gombe metropolis.

They displayed placards with inscriptions denouncing the incident and called for justice.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Sheikh Muhammad Abbari Gombe, described the US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran as unfortunate and unacceptable.

He urged followers to remain calm and law-abiding, while continuing to express their views through peaceful means.

The protesters said the demonstration was intended to register their grievances and show solidarity for Iran.

Security presence was observed in parts of the metropolis during the procession.

In Niger State, Shi’ites were also reported to have staged a similar protest yesterday, 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.

At the same vein, some Muslims in Sokoto State were said to have protested against Khamenei’s killing, chanting slogans and displaying placards.

IGP puts N/Central, N/East, N/West under surveillance

Following the protests by members of the IMN, the acting Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, according to a statement by the Force spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, yesterday ordered all the Commissioners of Police in the states and the Federal Capital Territory to heighten surveillance across Nigeria.

Disu directed the CPs to pay a particular attention to the North Central, the North East and the North West of the country amid developments in the Middle East occasioned by the US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran.

The acting IGP asked the police commissioners to heighten surveillance and intelligence gathering by strengthening collaboration with traditional and religious leaders.

He also asked them to enhance visibility policing around worship centres and public spaces and swiftly address any attempt by individuals or groups to exploit global developments to incite unrest or sectarian tension.

The statement read in part: “The Inspector-General of Police, Ag. IGP Olatunji Disu reassures all Nigerians of the unwavering commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to the protection of lives, property, and national peace, in light of evolving geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and their potential global implications.

“While Nigeria remains stable and its internal security situation firmly under control, the Force has reinforced proactive, intelligence-led policing measures across the country.

“The Ag. IGP has directed all Commissioners of Police in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, with particular attention to the North West, North East, and North Central zones, to heighten surveillance and intelligence gathering, strengthen collaboration with traditional and religious leaders, enhance visibility policing around worship centres and public spaces, and swiftly address any attempt by individuals or groups to exploit global developments to incite unrest or sectarian tension.

“The Nigeria Police Force reiterates that Nigeria will not serve as a theatre for foreign conflicts. Any attempt to import external ideological or religious tensions into the country will be met with the full weight of the law.

“IGP Disu calls on community leaders nationwide to continue promoting peace and urges citizens to remain calm, vigilant, and law-abiding, reporting any suspicious activity to the nearest police formation.”

Revoke military deal with US, Israel, Nat’l Islamic Centre tells FG

The Ummah Movement, with headquarters at the National Islamic Centre (NIC) at Dogarawa, Zaria, has expressed shock at the launch of simultaneous joint military strikes by the United States of America and the Zionist State of Israel on the Islamic Republic of Iran on Saturday.

The NIC, in a statement yesterday by its National Amir, Professor Muhammad Babangida, said it is sad that the duo of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump had chosen the holy month of Ramadan to launch their criminal aggression on Iran, “after the more than 70,000 lives they massacred in their joint genocide on Gaza.”

It called on the Nigerian Government to condemn the aggression and revoke any military agreement it might have signed with the USA and Israel.

It also called on all Muslim countries in the Middle East to shut down all US military bases in their countries and expel US soldiers to ensure the return of peace to the region.

“Muslim countries and their ruling regimes should note that only their prompt action in opposing the USA and Israel can save the world from another global conflict that will inevitably draw in Russia and China on the side of Iran, as the war threatens to choke the global fuel supply artery in the Gulf,” the NIC said.

The NIC stated: “We regrettably note that the US and Israel launched this premeditated and unjust war, primarily to bring regime change, while deceptively engaged in “negotiations” with Iran in Geneva; thereby instigating a regional and possibly a world conflict of unlimited disastrous consequences.

“The Ummah movement condemns in the strongest terms this unprovoked attack on Iran and the assassination of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei and other leaders. This is a cowardly act which sets a dangerous precedence in conflicts between nations. It is clear that the ‘Grand Promoters of Genocide in Gaza’, the USA and Israel, respect neither human values nor international laws and Conventions in their unrestrained expansionist agenda.”

Nigerian Embassy in Kuwait puts citizens on the alert

Following a viral video showing Kuwait-based Nigerians reportedly spotting multiple missiles amid the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, the Nigerian Embassy in Kuwait has advised Nigerian nationals in Kuwait and Bahrain to stay alert and comply with safety directives from local authorities following the tensions in the Middle East.

In a circular posted on the embassy’s official Instagram account yesterday, Nigerians in both countries were asked to stay calm, follow official announcements from the Kuwaiti and Bahraini governments, and observe all safety guidelines.

It said it was closely monitoring the situation and maintaining contact with Nigerian community leaders to ensure timely information and support.

MURIC to Nigerian Muslims: Be peaceful, vigilant

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), in a statement yesterday by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, described Khamenei’s killing as extremely outrageous, unlawful aggression and an assault on international law and order.

The organisation urged Nigerian Muslims to remain peaceful and law abiding but vigilant, saying “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.”

It stated: “The supreme leader of the Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint US-Israel bombing of Iran yesterday, Saturday, 28th February, 2026.

“We strongly condemn this killing. It is extremely outrageous, preposterous and unlawful. The attack constitutes an assault on international law and order.

“By attacking Iran while peaceful negotiations were going on, the US and Israel have sent a strong, negative and most dangerous signal to the world that this is the age of criminal aggression, the end of friendly relations based on mutual trust, the era of ‘might is right’ and the demise of trans-Atlantic transparency.

“MURIC admonishes Muslim leaders around the world to trust the US and its Western allies at their own risk and to expect daggers and bullets instead of handshakes and salads at the table.

“Within Nigeria, we call on Muslims to shun official engagements with leaders of other religious groups but to continue to be good neighbours to all, loving, giving and tolerating. At the same time, we urge Nigerian Muslims to remain peaceful and law abiding but vigilant. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.”

Also reacting yesterday, a Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Ahmad Gumi, described the slain Iranian leader as “a lucky soul” who died defending oppressed people.

Gumi, in a post shared on his verified Facebook page, said Khamenei’s death occurred in what he termed “Jihad against killers of innocent children and women in Gaza and elsewhere.”

“A lucky soul, he died in Jihad against killers of innocent children and women in Gaza and elsewhere,” Gumi wrote.

He added that the late Iranian leader’s blood “will fuel the change in the ummah,” noting that Khamenei “stood firmly for justice and didn’t hide in bunkers.”

The cleric further stated, “For those who killed him or assisted in killing him, let us see what they will live to do in this world.” (Daily Trust, excluding headline)

•PHOTO: Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) protesting in Bauchi State yesterday over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a coordinated US-Israeli strike. PHOTO: Daily Trust

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