Middle East Institute warns that Hezbollah is training Nigerian Shiites in Lebanon

AMERICAN think tank the Middle East Institute (MEI) has warned that Lebanese Islamic political party Hezbollah is providing ideological and military training to Nigerian Shiites inside the country.

Most Nigerian Muslims are Suni but there is a Shiite minority, led by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), who have recently been involved in bitter clashes with the government. Over two years ago, IMN leader Sheikh El-Zakzaky, was arrested after a clash between his followers and the Nigerian Army in Zaria, that left dozens of its members dead.

Following the incident, the government has clamped down on the sect brutally, with many of its leaders in jail and the Shiites have begun holding demonstrations demanding their release. In what appears to be the Shiites fighting back, their members have now started going to Lebanon to receive training from Hezbollah.

One MEI source said: “Tall men, in long, traditional African garb specific to northern Nigeria are sometimes spotted in Dahieh, a predominantly Shiite suburb south of Beirut where Hezbollah runs a cultural centre. The training is limited to a few number of people but it is growing steadily.

“The Shiite Nigerians initially receive religious training before a military one that is provided in two camps in the Lebanese Bekaa. Iran has told Hezbollah that it needed to recruit and train Nigerians to establish a stronghold there, so that it could serve as an operational base for the rest of Africa, mainly to thwart Israeli and western ambitions in the region.”

Sheikh El-Zakzaky, was initially inspired by Muslim Brotherhood’s chief ideologue Sayyed Qutb but later converted to Shiite Islam and became a flag-bearer for Iran’s revolution in Nigeria. Despite his repeated clashes with the Nigerian government, Sheikh El-Zakzaky and his followers have been peaceful, conducting their affairs without violence.

“The training that is taking place now in Lebanon is mostly focusing on higher-ranking officers in commanding positions, who can in turn train new recruits in Nigeria, which is why the number of trainees remains limited. These trainees also generally return to Lebanon every three to six months to receive further training on more sophisticated weapons,” the MEI source added.

Founded in 1946 and based in Washington DC, the MEI seeks to increase knowledge of the Middle East among US citizens. Among other things, the MEI invites experts from the Middle East and around the world to participate in its programmes and conferences, while its main event each year is an annual conference and banquet held every November.

Known as The Party of God, Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organisation by the US, Israel, Canada, Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, UK, Australia and the European Union. It is a Shiite Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon, that is widely revered by its followers worldwide.