Nigeria’s Hezbollah Disneyland

The United States decided to act against Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy terrorist organization based in southern Lebanon, which stored weapons and ammunition in Nigeria’s most popular amusement park.

On February 26^th, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned three Lebanese men – Fouzi Fawaz, Mustapha Fawaz, and Abdallah Tahini – for operating a Hezbollah supply network in Nigeria. Treasury froze all three individuals’ property and assets and prohibited them from dealing with American individuals.

This event marks the most recent development of a story from May 2013 when Nigerian authorities arrested four men, including the three aforementioned, in the northern city of Kano on suspicion of being members of Hezbollah.

Soldiers found hidden weapons and ammunition meant to target both U.S. and Israeli facilities in Nigeria. Mustapha Fawaz had used his own business properties to store other weapons. Fawaz co-owns, along with Abdallah Tahini, the Amigo Supermarket and the Wonderland Amusement Park in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Nigerian authorities believe the men had previously used these properties to store weapons and the businesses to fund terrorism. The individuals eventually escaped charges and now reside in Abuja but have been accused of other ties to Hezbollah.

The Kano case is one example of Iran and Hezbollah’s extensive activity in Nigeria and the entire African continent. Iran has engaged in further illicit activity such as terrorism and smuggling and often dispatches Hezbollah for these kinds of tasks.

The Islamic Republic also sees economic opportunities in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous and highest oil-producing country, and a pathway to the rest of the continent. Nigeria has influence as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. While Iran has grown more isolated from the international community, Tehran sees African countries as potential partners to overcome this obstacle. To this end, Iran has offered assistance in fighting Boko Haram to gain favor from African governments.

This story is a reminder of Iran and Hezbollah’s ongoing role in Africa, which will likely continue into the future as Tehran looks to expand its influence in the Middle East and beyond.