The Nigerian military has condemned protesters waving Russian and other foreign flags during protests.
Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, issued a warning after a security meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Monday.
This followed visuals from a large crowd of protesters waving Russian flags stormed the streets in Kaduna, Kano, and Bauchi on Monday, the fifth day of nationwide protests.
“We have all seen foreign flags being flown within the sovereignty of Nigeria, which is totally unacceptable. We are issuing a clear warning, and the President has also instructed us to convey this: we will not tolerate anyone, any individual, flying a foreign flag in Nigeria. That is a treasonable offence, and it will be treated as such. No one should allow themselves to be used by any individual.
“We wanted to brief Mr President on the situation on the ground, and we know that since the riots began, all the security agencies have been working together. Initially, when the riots started, they were described as peaceful, but we have realised that there are individuals who are willing to take advantage of the situation to cause mayhem. And we can clearly see what has happened since it began: criminals have taken over, with a lot of looting, stealing, and all sorts of criminal activities occurring,” Mr Musa declared.
The State Security Service (SSS) also announced the arrest of several tailors who allegedly sewed the Russian flags that were distributed and used by the #EndBadGovernance protesters in Kano state.
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