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About 200 Shia Muslims led a rally at the Abuja National Mosque on Friday afternoon to protest the killing of the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, who was killed by strikes launched against Iran by the United States and Israel.
The group were seen carrying images of the late Ayatollah and chanting “Shame to America” and anti-Israel slogans despite a heavy security presence.
AFP reported that they were, however, dispersed by security operatives after about 15 minutes.
The Shia Muslims involved in Friday’s protest are members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a pro-Iran group of Shias. The IMN was outlawed by Nigerian authorities for advocating an Islamic revolution in the country in 2011.
Following Khamenei’s killing by the US and Israel on February 26, members of the IMN have staged protests across Nigeria’s northern cities.
The US Embassy in Nigeria closed “due to the potential” of unspecified “protests” because the IMN had been attempting to stage demonstrations that were deterred by security forces.
On Friday morning, traffic was at a standstill on roads leading into Abuja as checkpoints and a heavier-than-usual security presence slowed down vehicles.
The IMN advocates for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution in Nigeria and has clashed with the Nigerian government in the past.
The Nigerian government has at times cracked down on the IMN. In 2025, clashes at a protest left 11 protesters and one soldier dead, according to an intelligence report seen by AFP at the time. Authorities, protesters, and rights groups disputed what sparked the violence.
