Posted on December 15, 2015
Why would the government of Nigeria–a country which has been plagued by a run-amuck, ISIS-affiliated terror group known as Boko Haram–suddenly carry out a massacre against the country’s Shia community? Is someone deliberately perhaps trying to foment a war between Sunnis and Shias in Nigeria? And who, pray tell, might that be?
For some of us, the first thing that might come to our minds after watching a video like that above, is do a search and try to find out what ties, if any, may exist between the Nigerian and Israeli governments. That’s what I did, at any rate. You can click here to find the results. Here’s a bit from the Wikipedia article:
In 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan became the first Nigerian President to visit the State of Israel. He had gone on a pilgrimage and signed bilateral air service agreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [5]According to the Nigerian ambassador to Israel, Solel Boneh, an Israeli construction company, is a household word in parts of Nigeria.[1]In June 2014 during the kidnapping of Israeli teens, before they were found murdered, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan wrote to Israel’s Netanyahu: “… I assure you that we are in solidarity with you, as we believe that any act of terrorism against any nation or group is an act against our common humanity. We unequivocally condemn this dastardly act, and demand that the children are released unconditionally by their abductors.”[6]
And here’s a bit from TheIsraelProject.org :
The two countries share close economic and commercial ties. Nigeria is Israel’s second-largest export market in Africa, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. Nigeria and Israel signed a pact to boost trade and bilateral ties in 2009. The trade agreement focused on agriculture, tourism, IT and investment. It was the first of its kind.The dynamic economic relations include bilateral consultations and discussions between the two governments, mutual visits of business delegations, participation in international exhibitions and other commercial events in both countries and various activities to promote trade and commerce carried out by the Israeli Export and International Cooperation Institute, the Nigerian-Israeli Chamber of Commerce (NICC), the Israel-Africa Chamber of Commerce and other institutions.
In April 2013 Elbit Systems was awarded a $40 million contract by the Nigerian government to put in place their “Wise Intelligence telecommunications surveilance system”. This system allows the Nigerian government to monitor all internet activity within Nigeria, a development feared by human rights activists that was met by a significant backlash.
You’ll note also, in the above video, that members of the Nigerian Shia community held protests last year against the Israeli attacks upon Gaza. Here’s a bit more from the same article at the Jewish Virtual Library:
Nigeria’s envoy to the United Nations Security Council, Joy Ogwu, reaffirmed her countries commitment to Israel’s safety and security on December 30 2014 by abstaining from a vote which if passed would have paved the way for Israel to be required to end their occupation of the territories captured following the 1967 war. This resolution was brought to the Security Council by Jordan on behalf of the Palestinians and needed nine out of the fifteen members on the Security Council to vote in favor in order to pass. The eight countries that supported this measure included China, France, Russia, Argentina, Chad, Chile, Jordan, and Luxemborg. Australia and the United States chose to vote against this measure, while Nigeria, Britain, Lithuania, the Republic of South Korea and Rwanda abstained from voting. Nigeria’s decision to abstain from the vote came at the last minute, which was expected. In the past Nigerian officials have promised to support similar Palestinian statehood measures, and experts close to the Security Council stated that it was expected that Nigeria would play like they were supporting this measure and then change their mind at the last minute.In 2011, 50,620 Nigerian tourists visited Israel. This number represents a 60% increase from the previous years number of 31,570.Nigeria imports an average of $300.4 million in Israeli goods ever year, and is consistently one of the top 20 importers of Israeli goods.
It’s beginning to look like anytime there is trouble in the world, scratch the surface and you will find a Zionist or a Zionist connection or component of some sort underneath. Perhaps interestingly, the president of Sudan has said that bothISIS and Boko Haram are Mossad-CIA front operations. Hard to say for sure, but certainly it’s a plausible theory.
By the way, Goodluck Jonathan’s luck ran out earlier this year. Netanyahu’s bosom buddy ran for re-election and was defeated. The current president of Nigeria is Muhammadu Buhari.
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Update on the situation:
Rouhani: Some pursue discord among Muslims; Buhari: I will punish culprits of the incident
Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has called for the establishment of a fact-finding committee in Nigeria to investigate the recent military crackdown on Shia Muslim community in the African country.
“Under the present circumstances, we expect the Nigerian government to sympathize with all victims and prevent the persistence of any kind of unrest by issuing firm instructions,” Rouhani said in a telephone conversation with his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.
Local media said on December 12 that more than a dozen people were killed after clashes erupted between the Nigerian army and Shia Muslims in the northern city of Zaria, Kaduna State. The military accused the Shias of attempting to assassinate Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, the chief of the Nigerian army staff.
Nigerian soldiers opened fire on the people attending a religious ceremony at Hussainiyyah Baqeeyatullah, a religious center belonging to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).
One day later, revered Nigerian Shia cleric Ibrahim al-Zakzaky and his wife were arrested during a raid by the army on his residence and the buildings connected to the Shia community in Zaria. Local sources say hundreds of people trying to protect the cleric were killed.
Rouhani further warned of plots to cause discord among Muslim countries and urged Muslim nations to remain united and vigilant against schemes.
“We should not let minor differences grow into deep-seated conflicts and differences,” Rouhani said, adding that the Muslim world currently needs to settle issues peacefully.
He also expressed Iran’s readiness to dispatch medical teams to Nigeria to treat those injured in the recent wave of violence.
Buhari, for his part, said he would fulfill his responsibility to ensure safety of the Nigerian Muslims and meticulously probe the recent deadly incidents.
President Buhari, too, in the phone talk appreciated his Iranian counterpart’s sensitivity about the world and Nigerian Muslims and elaborated on it, emphasizing that he does realize his responsibility to safeguard the Nigerian Muslims’ lives.
‘The Nigerian government is also determined to pursue the precise causes of the occurrence of that incidence and will definitely react to it accordingly,’ he added.
‘We will also do our best to restore security in our country and will act against those who have disturbed it,’ he said.
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