Foreign powers behind arrest of Palestinian leader in Nigeria – Dr Gimba
Story by Shalom KASIM
Publisher and CEO of Neptune Prime, Dr. Hassan Gimba, has alleged that the arrest of Ramzy Abu Ibrahim, head of the Palestinian community in Nigeria, was influenced by external forces attempting to undermine solidarity with Palestine and fracture Nigeria along religious lines.
Dr. Gimba spoke on Thursday morning, September 11, during a live broadcast on South Africa’s Salaamedia, hosted by Selaelo Makhwidiri. The conversation centered on the detention of Ibrahim, who was picked up in Abuja by security operatives two weeks ago and has yet to be charged or released.
According to Dr. Gimba, Ibrahim had been mobilising both Muslims and Christians in Nigeria by stressing that the war in Gaza was not a religious conflict. He pointed out that churches as well as mosques have been destroyed in Gaza, and that both Christians and Muslims there have suffered casualties. This message, he said, was beginning to resonate among Nigerian Christians, many of whom were beginning to sympathise with the Palestinian plight.
“What Abu Ibrahim has been trying to make both Muslims and Christians see is that this is not a religious fight. That the war in Gaza has nothing to do with religion. After all, there are Christians in Gaza who are being killed and maimed daily. Not only mosques have been destroyed, even churches are being destroyed.”
Dr. Gimba argued that such unity unsettled Israel and its allies, who then sought to plant discord. He cited meetings between Israeli and Nigerian officials where Iran was accused of sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria, including Boko Haram, a claim he said was widely ridiculed locally.
He said Ibrahim’s detention was linked to this pressure. “They [Israel] were listened to by the Nigerian security, and they arrested him [on the grounds] that he was encouraging terrorism. He hasn’t been taken to court up to now. If there is such a serious allegation, it must be presented in court with evidence. Ideally, when you are arrested, in 24 hours, you should be taken to court. He has not yet been taken to court, and he hasn’t yet been released. That is the situation up to now.”
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The Neptune Prime publisher also addressed broader patterns in Israeli foreign policy, arguing that Israel has conditioned the international community to accept its aggressive actions under the guise of self-defense.
“The excuse that Israel always gives is that they are protecting themselves from people attacking them. They tell you they are protecting themselves from Hamas because Hamas is attacking them, and they don’t tell the world, ‘We have taken the land of the Hamas people for the past 80 years, we have been subjugating them, killing them every day, and now what they are doing is a reaction.’”
He pointed to Israeli attacks in Syria, Tunisia, and against international flotillas carrying humanitarian aid, arguing that these actions cannot reasonably be described as self-defense. For him, Israel’s narrative has been so successful that it allows the state to act outside international law without consequence.
“They also say they are killing people because they are protecting themselves from Hezbollah. They are attacking Iran, Iran has not attacked them but they’re attacking Iran because they want to ‘save’ themselves. So, now the attacks they’re perpetrating in Syria, who is attacking them from Syria that they must protect themselves by attacking Syria? They attacked Tunis, who is attacking them from Tunis? Now, this flotilla, they’re coming with aid to help people that Israel are killing daily. The ships are coming with food. They’re not even Muslims. So, if they’re now telling people that they’re fighting Muslims because Muslims are fighting them, these flotilla people are not Muslims. They’re Europeans, Christian, who understand what is happening, and they want to come and help the people of Gaza because of humanity. So, they’re attacking the ships. Are the ships coming to attack them? The ships are not carrying weapons but food. If the food enters Gaza, will that food destroy Israel?”
READ ALSO: Head of Palestinian community in Nigeria arrested by anti-terrorism squad
Drawing comparisons with global responses elsewhere, Dr. Gimba highlighted what he saw as a double standard: Russia was heavily sanctioned and even banned from international sporting events after invading Ukraine, yet Israel continues to face little to no punitive measures for its military campaigns.
“When Russia attacked Ukraine, even FIFA banned Russia. So, what’s happening now? The world has accepted that Israel can do what it wants, and nobody can do anything about it, ‘well it’s Israel, let them do it.’ This is what is happening.”
Dr. Gimba further questioned the sincerity of negotiations involving Israel and the United States, describing them as strategic traps. He cited the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani as an example of how supposed peace talks or diplomatic overtures have been used to lure opponents into vulnerable positions before striking.
He also criticised the labeling of Hamas leaders as “terrorists,” comparing it to the apartheid-era branding of Nelson Mandela and other South African liberation leaders. For him, the very fact that Israel and the U.S. negotiate with Hamas indicates recognition of its representative status, even as they dismiss it rhetorically.
When asked whether Nigeria might face U.S. retaliation if it took an unequivocal stand in favour of Palestine, similar to South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Dr. Gimba was both supportive and critical of South Africa’s stance. He praised the symbolic act of taking Israel to court but faulted Pretoria for continuing business ties with Tel Aviv, which he argued undermines the seriousness of its legal challenge.
“Going to the International Court is okay, but in reality, South Africa is still doing business with Israel. And what keeps Israel alive is those businesses. What we expected is that if you are serious to take someone to court because of genocide, then you should be serious enough not to do business with that person. But if you are keeping that person alive by supplying him what he needs to be alive, then, how serious are you?”
READ ALSO: Group urges Tinubu to release detained Palestinian leader, Abu Ramzy, others
According to him, international court rulings carry little weight when opposed by Washington, making South Africa’s action more symbolic than effective. He warned that Nigeria may also hesitate to take positions because many African leaders depend on Western political and financial backing.
Dr. Gimba said that most African leaders avoid confronting Israel not out of conviction, but out of fear of exposure or retaliation.
“Most of our leaders may have to have [the] backing of many international channels. For example, if someone wants to be president, he goes to Chatham House, expecting blessings from Europe and America…and if they don’t want you, they have ways to remove you. So, most African leaders are afraid of them. They don’t want to touch them because they can harm them.”
He further alleged that many leaders are vulnerable to blackmail.
“Most of our leaders have been compromised. Some of them have stolen monies from their countries and deposited in European, American, and all these banks that have been run by Israel. They have the secrets, they can release it, and then there will be arrests in their countries… So, many leaders in Africa are afraid to confront the aggressor. You can’t expect them to talk.”
In his view, leaders who have been compromised in this way choose self-preservation over justice, allowing their people to suffer while avoiding any confrontation with powerful foreign states. He suggested that true leadership would require individuals willing to risk personal sacrifice, even stepping aside so that successors without such liabilities could take stronger stances.
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