SECURITY was tight across Nigeria’s capital on Wednesday, March 4, following a planned protest by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shi’ites, amid rising tensions over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to reports, the IMN had announced plans to stage demonstrations in Abuja in solidarity with Iran following coordinated United States–Israel strikes that Iranian media confirmed led to Khamenei’s death.
The ICIR reports that since the attack which started on Saturday, February 28, with the killing of Khamenei, over 500 people have been killed in Iran.
On Wednesday, heavy security presence was observed along the Mararaba–Nyanya Expressway, around the Federal Secretariat, Eagle Square and the gate of the Presidential Villa.
Armed military and police officers, including Mobile Police units, mounted stop-and-search operations, while Armoured Personnel Carriers were strategically stationed in key areas, such as Kubwa, Maraba and parts of the City Centre to prevent breakdown of law and order.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command had confirmed it beefed up security following intelligence reports of the planned protest.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said the FCT Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, on Tuesday addressed and deployed officers to ensure public safety, urging them to protect lives and property while respecting citizens’ rights.
However, as of press time, after 4:pm, the protest failed to hold, an indication that the IMN might have put the demonstration on hold due to the heavy security.
The group had protested in Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe and Lagos states, condemning what it described as joint US–Israel aggression against Iran. During a procession in Niger State on Sunday, led by IMN leader Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, demonstrators waved Iranian flags and chanted solidarity slogans, vowing continued resistance.
US Embassy issues security alert, cancels visa appointments
Amid the planned protest, the United States Embassy in Abuja earlier on Wednesday warned its citizens in Nigeria of a “high potential for protests” in the nation’s capital over the Middle East conflict.
The embassy noted that previous protests by some groups had resulted in violent clashes between demonstrators and Nigerian security forces. It advised US citizens in Abuja to remain in their residences and avoid areas where protests might take place.
In its advisory, the embassy urged citizens to avoid crowds, monitor local media for updates, exercise caution around large gatherings, keep a low profile, carry proper identification, and review personal security plans.
It also encouraged US nationals to enrol in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates.
The alert followed the embassy’s earlier decision to cancel visa appointments scheduled for Wednesday as a precautionary measure.
“Due to the potential for protests in Abuja, the U.S. Embassy in Abuja has cancelled all visa appointments on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Applicants will be contacted with information on how to reschedule. Please monitor our website and social media channels for further updates,” the statement read.
History of confrontations
The IMN has a history of confrontations with Nigerian security forces, particularly in Abuja and parts of northern Nigeria.
Clashes between security forces and the IMN intensified after the 2015 massacre, in which soldiers killed over 300 of its members.
Their leaders were later arrested and detained for years under the late President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Several legal disputes trailed the detention of the group’s leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife, as the Nigerian government refused to release them after courts had granted him bail.
In 2019, the Buhari government officially proscribed the group following a court ruling that labelled it as being involved in “acts of terrorism and illegality.”
Tensions between the IMN and security agencies were again highlighted on March 30, 2025, following a violent confrontation in Abuja.
The ICIR reported how a clash broke out during an IMN procession marking International Quds Day near the Banex Roundabout in Wuse 2.
The police confirmed the death of one officer and the arrest of 19 suspected IMN members.
FCT Police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, alleged that members of the group attacked security operatives with firearms, cutlasses, catapults, sticks, stones and petrol bombs, leading to an exchange of gunfire in which two officers were severely injured, and one later died at the National Hospital.
However, the IMN disputed the police account. At a press briefing in Abuja, the group’s Resource Forum, led by Abdullahi Danladi, claimed that six of its members were killed and that as many as 380 protesters, including women and children, were arrested.
Danladi further alleged that security agents were concealing the bodies of those killed during the clash and demanded their unconditional release, as well as the prosecution of officers responsible for the alleged deaths. He rejected police claims that the group was armed, describing the allegations as a cover-up.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M