• Super Admin
• 07 Mar, 2026

The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has accused Iran of sponsoring extremist activities in Nigeria. The Israeli Ambassador levelled the allegation against Iran when he spoke in an interview he granted ARISE TV on Friday. Freeman linked Tehran's activities to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN). He said: "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." Freeman said Iran's hostility towards Israel has shaped its global posture for decades, accusing Tehran of sponsoring militant networks and expanding its military capabilities. He added: "For 47 years, Iran has had a policy of 'death to Israel, death to America.' "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." Responding to questions about Israel's nuclear position, Freeman said: "Israel has never said that we have nuclear weapons. "That's your statement. "Israel's policy has always been that we won't be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons into the region." Freeman also alleged that Iranian-linked networks have operated in several regions, including Africa, warning that their activities threaten global stability. He said: "We've seen them acting in Nigeria. "We've seen these people acting all across the world in order to spread disturbance and carry out their aim of destroying Israel. "Less than two months ago, there were millions of people protesting against the Iranian regime. "The regime's response was to gun them down and massacre them. "Anywhere between 30,000 and 70,000 Iranians were shot dead for purely saying they weren't happy with their government. "This is an illegitimate government. "Israel does everything we can to limit innocent civilian casualties. "We carry out pinpoint, incredibly accurate strikes to target Iran's ballistic missile programme, nuclear programme, and regime structures. "Iran, on the other hand, is attacking civilians. "Their missiles have killed children, the elderly, carers, and people from all over. "They are carrying out war crimes to maximise civilian casualties. "Nigeria and Israel are strong allies and strong friends. "We work together on many areas. "As Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu said, we are willing and eager to partner with Nigeria according to Nigeria's needs and desires in order to help tackle instability." Source: https://theeagleonline.com.ng/iran-sponsoring-extremist-activities-in-nigeria-israeli-envoy/