In Nigeria, tailors who sewed Russian flags for anti-government protests were detained

Protest in Nigeria, photo: Getty Images

Nigeria has arrested several tailors for making Russian flags that were lit during anti-government protests this week in the north of the country.

Source: Reuters with reference to the Nigerian State Secret Police

Details: The Department of Public Services also said in a post on X that they had detained some of the tailors’ “supporters” without explaining. It was said that the investigation is ongoing. The report did not say how many tailors or “supporters” were detained.

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Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa, has called for flying a foreign flag during anti-government protests “high treason” after holding security talks with President Bola Tinubu on Monday.

Direct speech Musa: “We have identified those who support them and we are going to take serious action against him.”

More details: Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been protesting since August 1 against Tinubu’s dire economic reforms, which have led to the partial removal of petrol and electricity subsidies, currency devaluation and inflation at a thirty-year high. .

The protests subsided after a deadly police crackdown.

In the northern states of Borno, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina, protesters unfurled hundreds of Russian flags, with some calling for a military coup.

“We are waving the Russian flag because the Tinubu government is not listening to us. Russian presidents always support the development of African countries, unlike other countries,” Lawal Kodo, a 28-year-old activist from Kano, told Reuters on Monday.

The Russian Embassy in Nigeria denies any involvement in the events.

Literally statement from the Russian Embassy: “The Government of the Russian Federation, as well as any Russian officials, do not participate in these events and do not coordinate them in any way.” “

More details: The protests in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, come amid growing concerns in the West about Russia’s security ties to the region, including countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where military leaders have seized power in coups.

Security experts say many Nigerian activists believe the cost-of-living crisis is the result of Tinubu-mandated reforms by Western institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Universe.