Nigerians Charged With Aiding Iran Militant Cell

Nigeria charged two of its citizens on
Wednesday with assisting an Iranian
militant cell in planning possible attacks
on Israeli targets, alleging that one had
traveled to Tehran and Dubai to receive
cash and had known about spying on
Israeli interests.

The secret service [SSS] arrested
Abdullahi Mustapha Berende and
Saheed Oluremi Adewumi, plus one
other Nigerian, in February. It accused
them of being members of a “high-
profile terrorist network” that was
planning attacks on home soil.
The alleged cell was not named in  the
charge sheet. Iran has never responded
to the allegations.

Nigerian authorities are growing
concerned about an apparent surge in
interest in the West African country by
Shi'ite Muslim militant groups with links
to Iran or Lebanon. Three Lebanese
have been in court over an alleged
Hezbollah plot since June.

Although the threat pales in comparison
to Sunni Islamist groups like al-Qaida or
Nigerian outfit Boko Haram, recent
cases have raised alarm.
Berende is accused of traveling to Iran
to help with “material assistance and
terrorist training... in the use of fire
arms, explosives and other related
weapons.”

He also is accused of knowing about
spying on two Israeli targets in Lagos -
the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish center and
the Lagos branch of AA Consulting - but
failing to alert police.
The charge did not make clear whether
he himself is accused of doing the
spying, but the SSS had earlier
suggested he did.

The charges also say he took $30,000
in funding to carry out operations. He
and Adewumi were both accused of
aiding a Iranian terrorist group,
including by using cameras to help
them.
Iran has been in the spotlight in Nigeria
before. In 2010, authorities at a Lagos
port found a shipment of artillery
rockets, rifle rounds and other weapons
from Iran. A Nigerian and an Iranian
each received a five-year sentence in
May for smuggling the weapons.

An Iranian diplomat was arrested in
2004 on suspicion of spying on the
Israeli embassy in Nigeria's capital
Abuja, Israeli sources said. Iran denied
any spying.