Arms Shipment: Nigeria, Iran Disagree

A disagreement over arms shipments purportedly to be from Iran being found in Nigeria has been reportedly resolved through high-level diplomatic contacts between the two states.
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Arms shipment: Nigeria, Iran disagree

Headlines Nov 16, 2010
Henry Umoru, with agency reports
Nigeria Vanguard

ABUJA —Nigeria yesterday disagreed with Iran that the issue of shipment of 13 containers of arms intercepted at Apapa port where Iran was accused of complicity has been settled.

Iranian Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki who visited Nigeria last week and held a meeting with his Nigerian counterpart, over the matter said yesterday in Tehran that the issue of an alleged Iranian arms shipment intercepted in Nigeria was a “misunderstanding” that has been settled.

“A private company which had sold conventional defence weapons to another country in West Africa had transferred the shipment via Nigeria which raised some doubts with relevant officials,” Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters.

Mottaki said an Iranian national who was in Nigeria as the representative of the company “had offered explanations to Nigerian authorities and I believe the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”He did not specify whether the firm was Iranian.

Investigations ongoing

A spokesman for Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry, Mr Ozo Nwobu however said “investigations are ongoing to determine the level of Iranian involvement and it will be inappropriate for us to comment before allowing them to be concluded”. The spokesman declined to comment on Iran’s assertion that the issue was the result of a misunderstanding and that it had been resolved.

In the heat of the row between Nigeria and Iran over the arms shipment, Iran last week replaced her ambassador to Nigeria. Mottaki did not however say whether the replacement was connected to the weapons case. Spokesman of the Nigerian Foreign Ministry also said the new ambassador’s appointment had no connection with the arms seizure.

Nature of misunderstanding

In Iran, Mottaki did not elaborate on the nature of the misunderstanding or how it was resolved. His statement was the highest-level Iranian comment so far on the case. In late October, Iran’s then ambassador to Nigeria, Hussein Abdullahi, said there was no clear evidence linking his country to the shipment.

Nigeria said the artillery rockets and other weapons, found at a Lagos port last month in shipping containers labelled as building supplies, originated in Iran and may have been destined for Nigerian politicians intending violence if they lose in 2011 elections.

Nigeria also said last week it would take action against Iran if an investigation shows it violated international law and U.N. sanctions, suggesting it might report Tehran to the world body.

An international shipping company based in France, CMA CGM, said it had picked up the containers in which the weapons were hidden in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. The shipment stopped in Mumbai, India, before heading to Lagos.

Some time last month the shipper sought to have the containers reloaded and sent to Gambia, a tiny West African country wedged inside Senegal, according to the firm.

Nigeria’s intelligence agency said it had been monitoring the shipment, which was disguised as building materials, before it arrived in the country.

It also said the shipment’s destination was Nigeria, and “any argument that the cargo came into the country by mistake is false”.

Last Friday Nigeria threatened to report Iran to the UN Security Council if the arms shipment, which included rockets and grenades, violated sanctions over its sensitive nuclear programme.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia said Iranian officials confirmed the consignment originated in Iran.

During his visit, Mottaki cleared the way for Nigerian security officials to interview one of two Iranians who Nigeria said organized the shipment, Ajumogobia said. The two Iranians, according to Nigeria have taken refuge in the Iranian Embassy.

But Mottaki yesterday depicted the tensions as eased. He said he and the Nigerian foreign minister had held talks on bilateral relations and that Ajumogobia would visit Tehran. Mottaki said the appointment of a new ambassador to Nigeria would “create new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.”

Weapons had no intended destination

Diplomatic and security sources outside Iran said the intended destination of the weapons had not been clarified yet, but they added that investigations have focused on two Iranians believed to be senior members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

A Security Council resolution bans Iran from “supplying, selling or transferring directly or indirectly from its territory or by its nationals … any arms or related material”. Nigerian security agents questioned one of the two Iranian men involved in the arms shipment but could not meet the second because he has diplomatic immunity.

Diplomatic sources outside Iran said the two are believed to be members of al_Quds, an elite unit of the Revolutionary Guards that specialises in foreign operations on behalf of Iran, French_based shipping group CMA CGM said the containers carrying the arms shipment, which was labelled as building materials, had been loaded in Iran by a local trader.

In a sign that tensions continued between the two countries, Nigeria postponed a soccer match against Iran’s national team scheduled for Wednesday in Tehran. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in a statement said “The NFF wishes to regrettably announce the postponement of its planned international friendly with the Iranian national team,” it said in a statement.

“The reason was due to the non availability of key players that pulled out from participating in the international friendly at the last minute.”

Iran’s football chief Ali Kafashian earlier said NFF had “apologised for this cancellation.”

“We must and will claim compensation for the cancellation of this match,” Kafashian was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

Nigeria had said late last month that it would bring a 20-man squad to Tehran for the game, including 13 players who ply their trade in European leagues.

Meanwhile the Islamic Republic of Iran has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to be a friend to the Islamic country, just as Nigeria officials have been invited to attend the Organisation of Islamic Conference, OIC.

Nigeria and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to work out close cooperation geared towards the removal of those grey areas of misunderstanding emanating from the incident of arms shipment seized in Lagos.

Nigeria, Iran issue communique

A statement issued yesterday from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the end of the meeting between the Iran’s Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki and Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Odein Ajumogobia noted that issues of mutual interest including bilateral, regional and international cooperation formed the discussions.

Other issues raised according to the statement was the condemnation of the October 1st bomb explosions by the Iranian government, just as the government of Iran emphasised the importance of stability, security and prosperity of Nigeria with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The two Ministers also agreed on the commencement of the 4th Meeting of the Joint Economic Commission of the two countries in Tehran in future, promotion of commercial and trade relations up to two billion dollars, expansion of mutual cooperation on areas of oil, gas, energy and electricity production as well as the promotion of cooperation at the regional and international organisations.

According to the statement, ‘’the two Foreign Ministers agreed on the necessity of close cooperation for removing any possible misunderstanding emanating from the recent incident.

‘While the Iranian Foreign Minister acknowledged the development process taking place in Nigeria, he expressed the intention of the Islamic Republic of Iran for constructive contribution in this on_going economic development process

At the meeting, the Iranian government and the government of Nigeria stressed the need for active participation in regional conferences being held by both countries, even as Nigeria’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism was invited to the Ministerial session of the Organization for Islamic Conference slated for 28_29 November in Tehran which Ajumogobia warmly accepted and promised to visit Tehran soon.