In the conversation an Iranian official, who identifies himself as Sheikh Usani, asks about Mr. El-Zakzaky’s condition. The IMN leader informs the Iranian official that he is in his house, which has been “under siege” for 11 hours by the Nigerian military.
A recorded phone conversation obtained by SaharaReporters reveals a conversation between the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and an official from Iran.
The Iranian official assures Mr. El-Zakzaky that he will be contacting the authorities in order to ameliorate the situation and implores Mr. El-Zazaky to call him every hour in order to verify the man’s safety.
The conversation between Mr. El-Zakzaky and the Iranian official took place after the massacre on Saturday that left at least 60 Shiites dead and 28 wounded by the Nigerian army. After the massacre, Mr. El-Zakzaky fled to his residence in Zaria in an attempt to avoid Nigerian troops. He was arrested on Monday, and subsequently placed in military custody.
Iran is one of the only Shiite powers in the world and considers the protection of Shiites a foreign policy priority. In Tehran, the Nigerian envoy to Iran was summoned to the offices of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif Khonsari on Monday. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, protests erupted outside of the Nigerian embassy in Iran, several protesters were seen burning the flags of the UK, the US, and Israel.
A photo emerged on social media of Mr. El-Zakzaky sitting on the ground, his arms tied behind his back, and blood on his shirt and beard. The photo was allegedly taken after his arrest. Protests by Shiites swept across Kaduna State in response to the arrest of the IMN leader.
