By Zainab Rauf, Abuja In a move that has ignited outrage across human rights circles and diplomatic corridors, Nigerian authorities have ...
By Zainab Rauf, Abuja
In a move that has ignited outrage across human rights circles and diplomatic corridors, Nigerian authorities have arrested the Head of the Palestinian Community in Nigeria, Ramzy Abu Ibrahim, just days after the country signed a controversial “security and intelligence” cooperation pact with the State of Israel.
Ibrahim, a longtime resident of Nigeria and outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights, was forcefully taken from his Abuja residence on Friday by operatives who identified themselves as members of the Anti-Terrorism Squad. Since then, his whereabouts remain unknown, and no charges have been filed.
“He was arrested without a warrant, without explanation. We don’t know where he is or what condition he’s in,” a family member told Daily Struggle. “This is not the Nigeria we know.”
His arrest, shrouded in secrecy, comes just days after Nigeria and Israel announced an agreement to deepen military, intelligence, and counter-terrorism cooperation—a move widely criticised by rights groups who say the timing of the arrest appears far from coincidental.
The pact, signed earlier last week by Nigeria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and her Israeli counterpart Sharren Haskel-Harpaz, includes joint efforts on intelligence sharing, terrorism surveillance, border control, and training.
While sold to the public as a “strategic partnership,” critics say the pact has now cast a dark shadow over Nigeria’s internal operations—especially following Ibrahim’s sudden disappearance.
“Ramzy Abu Ibrahim has been a peaceful voice for Palestine in Nigeria for decades. His recent advocacy focused on journalists killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza. Days later, he’s gone. That is not a coincidence,” said an Abuja-based rights advocate.
Indeed, in recent weeks, Ibrahim had intensified his public criticism of Israeli airstrikes, particularly those targeting journalists and hospitals in Gaza. He appeared frequently on Nigerian media platforms, mobilising support for Palestine and calling for moral clarity from African governments. His arrest appears to be a chilling warning to other voices of dissent.
As of this report, no Nigerian agency has taken responsibility or issued an official statement. The Palestinian Embassy in Nigeria has refused to comment, while efforts to reach top security officials have been unsuccessful.
Sources close to Ibrahim say the family has no information on where he is being held—or even if he is alive.
“This could only happen now, after Nigeria shook hands with an apartheid regime,” said a source close to the Palestinian community. “The timing is too perfect. They call it ‘security cooperation,’ but we see repression.”
The arrest follows news that Israeli forces struck al-Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, killing at least 15 people, including four journalists: Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, AP reporter Mariam Abu Dagga, Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Salam, and NBC’s Moaz Abu Taha. A fifth journalist, Hatem Khaled, was seriously wounded.
These were among the very attacks Ibrahim had condemned in his last media appearances—where he described the targeting of journalists as an “attack on truth itself.”
Now, in a bitter twist, the man speaking out about silenced voices has himself been silenced in Nigeria.
The development is raising serious questions about the future of Nigeria’s foreign policy. Once a beacon of anti-apartheid resistance and a vocal defender of oppressed peoples, Nigeria now appears to be participating—either knowingly or under foreign pressure—in the suppression of pro-Palestinian voices.
“This is more than a diplomatic misstep,” said a senior international analyst. “It’s a betrayal of Nigeria’s historical stance and a shameful capitulation to a regime facing genocide accusations.”
Global human rights groups and press freedom advocates are already calling for Ibrahim’s immediate release and for Nigeria to explain its role in what many are calling a politically motivated arrest.
Meanwhile, fear is spreading among activists and journalists who once looked to Nigeria as a safe space for dissent.
The arrest of Ramzy Abu Ibrahim, coming so soon after Nigeria’s security pact with Israel, has exposed the ugly underbelly of a partnership cloaked in diplomatic language. What was announced as a “strategic alliance” now appears to be a direct path to repression—and the exportation of Israel’s internal conflicts into Nigerian soil.
If Ibrahim is not freed and the government remains silent, Nigeria may find itself on the wrong side of history—no longer as a champion of freedom, but as an enabler of tyranny.
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