Concerned Citizens of Nigeria, a civil society organization, has accused the federal government for what it called a “deepening cooperation with Israel”, describing it as a plan to partner with MOSSAD to kill Pro-Palestinian Nigerians.
In a petition to President Bola Tinubu, titled “Urgent Call to Halt Nigeria’s Military and Commercial Partnerships with Israel,” which was signed by Abdulkarim Suleiman Dambazau, the group urged the federal government to end all military and commercial agreements with Israel amid its ongoing war crimes in Palestine.
It highlighted Nigeria’s historic stance against apartheid and oppression, stating that Nigeria has a proud legacy of standing against apartheid, colonialism, and genocide.
“From our leadership in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa to our consistent condemnation of Israel’s occupation of Palestine, our nation has always championed justice and human rights,” the petition stated.
The group described the recent Israeli—Nigerian agreements as “gravely concerning,” adding that a military cooperation with Israel, including joint operations, intelligence sharing, and defence industry collaboration, directly “contradicts Nigeria’s moral principles, especially as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and United Nations have repeatedly condemned Israel’s documented war crimes, genocide, and apartheid policies against Palestinians.”
The petition also highlighted series of Israel’s documented war crimes, including Killing over 60,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — in Gaza since October 2023, deliberate starvation tactics, systematic destruction of hospitals, and forced displacement — which are all classified as genocide by United Nations.
“Alarmingly, Nigeria continues to supply crude oil to Israel, indirectly fueling its military operations. Reports confirm that 9% of Israel’s crude oil imports originate from Nigeria, making our nation complicit in these atrocities.
“The Nigerian Ministry of Defence is actively pursuing joint military training programs, defence industry partnerships (including potential arms procurement), and intelligence-sharing agreements with a regime accused of crimes against humanity,” the petition explained.
The group stressed that Nigeria must not align itself with a government facing credible accusations of genocide, quoting the Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima during his address to the United Nations: “Justice is antithetical to revenge… Freedom is an inalienable right and cannot be denied to any person. The Palestinian people deserve their independence.”
The group showed its bewilderment about the contradictory actions of the federal government, stating: “Yet while condemning Israel’s atrocities, our government simultaneously engages in military and economic deals with the same regime. This hypocrisy undermines Nigeria’s credibility.”
The petition concluded by demanding that the Nigerian government should terminate all its military and intelligence agreements with Israel immediately, ban crude oil exports to Israel to end complicity in genocide, recall Nigeria’s ambassador to Israel and expel the Israeli ambassador from Abuja, publicly endorse South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel and advocate for international sanctions and redirect defence partnerships to nations respecting international law.
It also called on Nigerians to reaffirm their commitment to justice, human rights, and anti-colonial solidarity.
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