Iran arms shipments to Africa
Image via WikipediaOn February 16, the Nigerian Federal High Court in Lagos began the prosecution of an alleged member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Azim Aghajani, and a Nigerian associate, Usman Abbas Jega. They are accused of arms smuggling. This video link is in Arabic, but is very self-explanatory. It is of the opening day of the court proceedings.There is much more.
The story is a classic, just one of many on the Dark Continent nowadays: In late October 2010, Nigerian intelligence officials discovered weapons in 13 shipping containers marked building materials in Lagos’ Apapa Port. Following an investigation, Nigerian agents learned that Iran was behind the shipment of arms. At first it was assumed that the shipment was going to the Gaza Strip, however further investigations revealed that the weapons were bound for Gambia under the supervision of a group of Nigerian officials.
The shipment had been organized through International Trade and General Construction, an IRGC front company. It was picked up from the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas by CMA CGM (a French shipping company) and transported to Nigeria.
After the discovery of the shipment, the Nigerian government reported Iran to the United Nations Security Council, and Gambia has cut all diplomatic ties with Tehran.
The Iranian regime now faces a diplomatic and strategic disaster, and they are trying desperately to restore at least some of their standing in Nigeria. The Iranian regime has offered the Nigerian government a bribe, and despite everything, the Nigerian government seems happy to accept it.
In a press conference in Abuja, Nigerian ambassador to Tehran Al-Haj Abubakr Chika told reporters that Iran has offered Nigeria a one billion dollar “loan” in order to help Nigeria with a trade and economic development project. Chika added: “This loan will strengthen and expand trade and economic relations between Iran and Nigeria.”
It was a great success for Nigerian diplomacy. Iran started with an offer of $150 million, which was quickly rejected. The final amount was more than six times the original offer, and Chika claimed that the new billion dollar loan was given at a 5% interest rate with an open-ended repayment period. There’s still more to come: Chika has proposed that, in order to facilitate Nigeria’s access to Iran’s financial sources, Tehran should begin establishing trade centers in Nigeria.
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It does not sound like the loan/bribe is Shari'a compliant since it requires the payment of interest. Perhaps it is a sign of the desperation of the Iran regime after being caught in the arms smuggling gambit. The religious bigots in charge of Iran appear to have ambitions well beyond the Middle East. They are a danger to several regimes beyond their declared enemies of the US and Israel.
Nigeria is notoriously corrupt. It is surprising the Iranians did not pay a cheaper bribe before being caught.
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