The Islamic Republic of Iran may have joined forces with those seeking the removal of Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai in what is largely seen as a coup to cripple the anti-terror war.
Buratai, whose detractors acknowledged as having made commendable gains in the fight against Boko Haram in the northeast, was the target of an attack by Iranian-backed Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) better known as the Shiite sect in the country. The attempt on his life triggered a military operation.
Sources revealed that Iran, whose former Ambassador to Nigeria, Saheed Kozechi, actively defended IMN’s right to insurrection, is now exploiting ongoing allegations against the COAS of owning property in Dubai to seek his sack as payback for the troops’ operation in Zaria Kaduna state late last year.