Fresh facts have emerged that the Federal Government may not grant the request of the Islamic Republic of Iran that the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, be released for medical treatment in Tehran, the Iranian capital.

A reliable government source told us that powerful forces within the government were not favourably disposed to the request.

Although the meeting was held behind closed doors, the source revealed that the governors and the IGP felt that releasing El-Zakzaky to Iran for medical treatment could cause a major security problem for Nigeria in the near future.

We learnt that talks were ongoing between the Federal Government and Iran over the release of the Shiite leader while findings also showed that the IMN was not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

The letter read in part, “I, as the prosecutor general of the Islamic Republic of Iran, urge the Nigerian judicial authorities in line with their judicial independence and support for a captive citizen, and provide the ground for his release and transfer him to the Islamic Republic of Iran for treatment.” But stakeholders at the security meeting believed that if allowed to go to Iran on medical grounds, the IMN leader could become very powerful and begin to foment trouble from overseas while causing security problems for Nigeria back home.

One of the governors present at the meeting, who is from the North-West, according to the source, specifically said at the meeting that as long as he remained the governor and the chief security officer of his state, he would never support the Federal Government to grant Iran’s request.

The governor, who has a very significant number of Shiites living in his state, said he would never tolerate a situation where IMN members would continue to live as if they were in Iran, adding that they could go to Iran to practise their religion if they wanted the freedom of worship.