{"id":329961,"date":"2025-03-30T19:49:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-30T18:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=329961"},"modified":"2025-03-30T19:49:06","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T18:49:06","slug":"deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime&#8217;s Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_329962\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-329962\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-329962\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg\" alt=\"Iranian regime's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meets with Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, leader of the extremist group Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), on October 14, 2023\" width=\"1000\" height=\"566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023-742x420.jpg 742w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023-150x85.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023-696x394.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-329962\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iranian regime&#8217;s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meets with Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, leader of the extremist group Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), on October 14, 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Three-minute read<\/span><\/i><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Recent deadly clashes in Nigeria involving the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) have once again highlighted the group\u2019s role as a destabilizing force influenced by Tehran\u2019s ideological objectives. Inspired and funded by the clerical dictatorship in Iran, the IMN, led by Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, has grown increasingly militant in its pursuit of creating an Islamic state within Nigeria.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Despite being banned by the Nigerian government in 2019, the IMN continues to organize demonstrations, some of which have turned violent. According to a March 29, 2025, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/nigeria-police-muslim-group-clash-palestinians-c170559c98687b7f4a73a391e7dd73a8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">report by the Associated Press<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, five members of the IMN and one security force member were killed during a clash in Abuja on Quds Day\u2014a day initiated by Tehran to project the regime\u2019s global influence. Nineteen IMN members were arrested, with police claiming that demonstrators were armed and initiated the violence.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) is a Shiite Muslim group that claims to be inspired by the <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">1979 Iranian Revolution<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and has modeled itself after Iran\u2019s theocratic governance system. Led by Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has met with Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei multiple times in recent years, the IMN has established a network of schools and institutions promoting Iranian-style Shiism across Nigeria since the early 1980s.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Terrorist units of the Quds Force are dispatched to countries in the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/persian_gulf?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#persian_gulf<\/a> area, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Asia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Asia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Africa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Africa<\/a> , and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LatinAmerica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LatinAmerica<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BlacklistIRGC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BlacklistIRGC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oREnuUuwTr\">pic.twitter.com\/oREnuUuwTr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/831534458792718336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 14, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-nigeria-security-shiites\/nigerian-shiite-leader-denied-bail-after-supporters-killed-during-protest-idUSKCN1NC1Y1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Since Zakzaky\u2019s arrest<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in 2015 following a deadly crackdown by the Nigerian military, the IMN has engaged in numerous protests demanding his release. During a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/world\/nigerian-police-open-fire-shoot-tear-gas-at-shiite-muslim-protesters-in-abuja-idUSL8N1XA5YX\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">2018 demonstration in Abuja<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, Nigerian police fired tear gas and live ammunition, resulting in the deaths of dozens of IMN members.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">On July 24, 2019, Nigerian troops and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/world\/shiite-protesters-clash-with-nigeria-military-police-in-abuja-idUSKCN1UI1RS\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">police clashed with IMN proteste<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">rs in the capital, Abuja. The IMN was demanding the release of Zakzaky, who had been held in detention since 2015. Security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the protesters, resulting in multiple fatalities.\u00a0 <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky\u2019s Connections to Tehran<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Zakzaky has long expressed admiration for the Iranian regime\u2019s ideological and political goals. During a meeting with religious and social activists in Nigeria on April 28, 2025, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawzahnews.com\/news\/1151694\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">he stated,<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> \u201cThe attack by Iran on Israel brought tears of joy to my eyes.\u201d His rhetoric underscores a strong ideological alignment with Tehran\u2019s anti-Western agenda.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Beware Of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> Regime&#39;s Malign Influence In <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Africa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Africa<\/a><br \/>The need to tackle Iran\u2019s reactionary ideology in Africa<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RzV3r7LalD\">https:\/\/t.co\/RzV3r7LalD<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/STMk9oBWLr\">pic.twitter.com\/STMk9oBWLr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/988393057048498178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 23, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Additionally, Zakzaky and his wife <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/aftabnews.ir\/fa\/news\/866495\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">met with Khamenei<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> on October 14, 2024, further illustrating his loyalty to Tehran. The meeting highlights Iran\u2019s interest in maintaining its influence over the IMN as part of its broader strategic goals in Africa.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/publications\/special-reports\/report-irans-terrorist-network-in-africa-and-its-implications\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">report published on December 2<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, 2021, the NCRI warned that the IRGC has established training centers for Zakzaky\u2019s militants in northern Nigerian regions such as Kano and Sokoto. These operations are part of Tehran\u2019s strategy to expand its influence throughout West Africa.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Regime\u2019s Broader Strategy in Africa<span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">According to the NCRI, the regime in Iran has sought to exploit political instability and sectarian divisions in African countries as part of its strategy to \u201cexport the Islamic Revolution.\u201d The IRGC and Hezbollah have established <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/en\/le-monde-africa\/article\/2024\/10\/12\/how-hezbollah-raises-funds-in-west-africa_6729206_124.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">footholds throughout West Africa<\/a>, with Nigeria serving as a key target due to its sizable Muslim population and geopolitical importance.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> Regime-Backed Terror Network in Central <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Africa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Africa<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0QUgQBOHH0\">https:\/\/t.co\/0QUgQBOHH0<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/C3McICx0pF\">pic.twitter.com\/C3McICx0pF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1120784196979625984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 23, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The IRGC\u2019s Unit 400, tasked with expanding Tehran\u2019s influence abroad, has actively worked to build arms smuggling networks in Nigeria and other African nations. The IMN\u2019s continued militancy and alignment with Iran\u2019s ideological objectives present a persistent threat to Nigeria\u2019s security. By promoting sectarianism and exploiting local grievances, Iran seeks to expand its strategic depth in West Africa through proxies like the IMN.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The IRGC and Hezbollah have also reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/archives\/opa\/pr\/ofac-designated-hezbollah-financier-and-eight-associates-charged-multiple-crimes-arising-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">engaged in diamond smuggling<\/a> and money laundering across West Africa, particularly in Congo and Sierra Leone, to generate revenue that supports their activities. This revenue stream helps finance training facilities, indoctrination centers, and militant operations like those associated with Zakzaky\u2019s IMN.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Report: Iran\u2019s\u00a0Terrorist\u00a0Network\u00a0in Africa and Its Implications<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LosPxt5JTO\">https:\/\/t.co\/LosPxt5JTO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1652006010037604352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three-minute read&nbsp; Recent deadly clashes in Nigeria involving the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) have once again highlighted the group&rsquo;s role as a destabilizing force influenced by Tehran&rsquo;s ideological objectives. [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":329962,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[287],"class_list":{"0":"post-329961","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-terrorism-a-fundamentalism","8":"tag-iran-terrorism"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime&#039;s Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Three-minute read\u00a0 Recent deadly clashes in Nigeria involving the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) have once again highlighted the group\u2019s role as a\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime&#039;s Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement - NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Three-minute read\u00a0 Recent deadly clashes in Nigeria involving the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) have once again highlighted the group\u2019s role as a\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-30T18:49:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"566\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mehdi Oghbai\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mehdi Oghbai\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mehdi Oghbai\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6d974b7886275a3c3558a2c153cd9953\"},\"headline\":\"Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime&#8217;s Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-30T18:49:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":686,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Iran Terrorism\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Latest News on Iranian Terrorism\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/\",\"name\":\"Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime's Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement - NCRI\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-30T18:49:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"Three-minute read\u00a0 Recent deadly clashes in Nigeria involving the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) have once again highlighted the group\u2019s role as a\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":566,\"caption\":\"Iranian regime's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meets with Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, leader of the extremist group Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), on October 14, 2023\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\\\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime&#8217;s Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"NCRI\",\"description\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"alternateName\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/ncri-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/ncri-logo.jpg\",\"width\":402,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/iran_policy\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6d974b7886275a3c3558a2c153cd9953\",\"name\":\"Mehdi Oghbai\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e75a9651867c269b9def585b1d0cd3f8dd829c686ad851143c59a251ff991959?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e75a9651867c269b9def585b1d0cd3f8dd829c686ad851143c59a251ff991959?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e75a9651867c269b9def585b1d0cd3f8dd829c686ad851143c59a251ff991959?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mehdi Oghbai\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/author\\\/mehdi-oghbai\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime's Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement - NCRI","description":"Three-minute read\u00a0 Recent deadly clashes in Nigeria involving the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) have once again highlighted the group\u2019s role as a","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime's Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement - NCRI","og_description":"Three-minute read\u00a0 Recent deadly clashes in Nigeria involving the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) have once again highlighted the group\u2019s role as a","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/","og_site_name":"NCRI","article_published_time":"2025-03-30T18:49:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":566,"url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mehdi Oghbai","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@iran_policy","twitter_site":"@iran_policy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mehdi Oghbai","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/"},"author":{"name":"Mehdi Oghbai","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/6d974b7886275a3c3558a2c153cd9953"},"headline":"Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime&#8217;s Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement","datePublished":"2025-03-30T18:49:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/"},"wordCount":686,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg","keywords":["Iran Terrorism"],"articleSection":["Latest News on Iranian Terrorism"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/","name":"Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime's Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement - NCRI","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-30T18:49:06+00:00","description":"Three-minute read\u00a0 Recent deadly clashes in Nigeria involving the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) have once again highlighted the group\u2019s role as a","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/iran-ali-khamenei-sheik-zakzaki-14102023.jpg","width":1000,"height":566,"caption":"Iranian regime's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meets with Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, leader of the extremist group Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), on October 14, 2023"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/deadly-clashes-in-nigeria-highlight-regimes-influence-through-iran-inspired-extremist-movement\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Deadly Clashes in Nigeria Highlight Regime&#8217;s Influence Through Iran-Inspired Extremist Movement"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/","name":"NCRI","description":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization","name":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","alternateName":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ncri-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ncri-logo.jpg","width":402,"height":100,"caption":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/iran_policy"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/6d974b7886275a3c3558a2c153cd9953","name":"Mehdi Oghbai","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e75a9651867c269b9def585b1d0cd3f8dd829c686ad851143c59a251ff991959?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e75a9651867c269b9def585b1d0cd3f8dd829c686ad851143c59a251ff991959?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e75a9651867c269b9def585b1d0cd3f8dd829c686ad851143c59a251ff991959?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mehdi Oghbai"},"url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/author\/mehdi-oghbai\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}