Nigeria's government has taken the controversial decision to ban a pro-Iranian Shia group, accusing it of unleashing violence and being an “enemy of the state”.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) is challenging the ban, arguing that it is a peaceful movement which has, in fact, borne the brunt of state-orchestrated violence.
These latest developments have raised fears of oil-rich Nigeria becoming the latest battleground in the conflict between the world's two main Muslim sects, Shia and Sunni.
What is the IMN?
Formed about four decades ago, it advocates the creation of an Iranian-style Islamic state in Nigeria.
It was heavily influenced by the Iranian revolution, which saw Ayatollah Khomeini take power in 1979 after the overthrow of the US-allied Shah in a popular uprising.
Khomeini remains the group's main inspiration: IMN supporters first pledge allegiance to him at their gatherings, and then to their local leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky.
The IMN views itself as a government, and Sheikh Zakzaky – who has been in detention since 2015 – as the only…
