The jarring sights of Russian flags during the #EndBadGovernance protests in Nigeria raise questions about the motives and motivations of the demonstrators. Despite President Bola Tinubu’s admonitions to the protesters in a speech, the protests continued nationwide, but became more violent in some states.
The protest is a response to the crippling hunger and economic hardship overwhelming the Nigerian citizens, who now demand a change in the policies making the country a difficult place to live. Amid the quest for good governance are violent protesters, ruining and looting public infrastructures and private properties, while several others were waving the Russian flags — in the name of peaceful demonstrations.
On the surface, the Russian flag bearers appeared to be crying for help and desperately seeking global attention. The implications are chilling: If President Tinubu fails to heed the protesters’ demands, many said, the situation could be more terrible. The Russian flags could become a symbol of a deeper allegiance, one that could have far-reaching consequences for Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Many Nigerians have alleged that those waving Russian flags during protests are being sponsored. This suspicious demonstration started across major cities of northern Nigeria, including Kaduna, Kano and Katsina states. In a recent development, however, the Nigeria Police Force has arrested one suspect in Nasarawa state, for the mass production of the foreign flags and supplying them to protesters. The Department of State Security also confirmed the arrest of some tailors suspected to be mass-producing the flags in Kano State.
The trend gained momentum quickly, spreading to Nigeria’s capital city, raising an eyebrow about possible foreign influence operations during the protest. But the Russian government reacted, denying its involvement or interference in the protests.
“The Government of the Russian Federation, as well as any Russian officials, are not involved in these activities and do not coordinate them in any way,” the government said in a statement.
“As always, we emphasise that Russia does not interfere in the domestic affairs of foreign states, including Nigeria. These intentions of some protesters to wave Russian flags are personal choices of individuals, and they do not reflect any official position or policy of the Russian Government on the issue,” it added.
The Kano state government declared that the people carrying Russian flags are not part of the legitimate protest movement while some Nigerian activists and protesters also distanced themselves from the trend.
While the Russian authorities have denied having a hand in the demonstrations, the Nigerian law is in no favour of the flagbearers, especially at the moment, with experts and diplomats saying the act is treasonable.
Although no evidence yet that the Russian flag carriers among the protesters had treasonable intentions, section 37 of the Nigeria Criminal Code Act states that levying war against the state to intimidate or overthrow the President or Governor is treason and punishable by death. According to the law, it is the same as conspiring with others, either within or outside Nigeria, to levy war against the state with the intention of committing treason.
Also, section 41 of the act is to the effect that forming an intention to remove the President or Governor from office unconstitutionally, levy war against Nigeria, instigate foreign invasion, or intimidate legislative authorities, and manifesting this intention through an overt act, is a felony punishable by life imprisonment.
However, the Nigerian military said it will clamp down on individuals flying the Russian flags. The Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, after a meeting with the National Security Council, said those people are committing treason and will, therefore, be “prosecuted.”
