Nigeria, which narrowly avoided a diplomatic spat with Iran over the importation of military-grade weapons into the African nation, may report the illegals arms shipment from Iran to the UN Security Council Tuesday, the local media reported Monday. Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia is due in New York Monday to attend Tuesday’s debate by the UN Security Council on Sudan.
‘Officially, he (Nigeria’s Foreign Minister) is coming for a Security Council debate on Sudan on Tuesday morning, but there is every likelihood that Nigeria will formally report Iran to the UN Sanctions Committee, on the illegal arms intercepted in Lagos,’ the official News Agency of Nigeria quoted an unnamed Nigerian diplomat as saying.
At a press conference in Abuja Friday, the Foreign Minister hinted that Nigeria may take the issue to the UN when he said: ‘If investigations reveal a breach of International laws or a breach of UN sanctions, Nigeria is a member of the security council and would do what is necessary.’
The UN Security Council has slammed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, and expects member nations to ensure the sanctions, which include a ban on arms exports, are enforced.
For the past three days, Nigerian investigators have been interviewing an Iranian who had been holed up in the Iranian Embassy in Abuja over the arms importation that has rattled Africa’s most populous nation, which is preparing for crucial general elections next year.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki flew into Nigeria last week to help resolve the impasse over the issue, giving Nigerian investigators access to the Iranian.
The weapons, which were packed in 13 containers and labelled ‘glass wool and pallets of stone’, were discovered at the Apapa Port in the commercial city of Lagos by State Security Service (SSS) officials during inspec tion 26 Oct.
Following reports that the weapons were shipped from Iran, the Nigerian government sought explanation from the Iranian Embassy, which however failed to cooperate until Thursday when the Iranian Foreign Minist er met with his Nigerian counterpart.
Ajumogobia said Nigeria was aware that the individual, Azimi Agajany, applied for visa to enter Nigeria, and that correspondences showed connection with the Nigerian consignee hence Nigeria’s demand to speak with the Iranian.