Russian Flags being displayed during #EndBadGovernance protest.
BY Abdulsalam Abdullah
The Department of State Services (DSS) says it is investigating seven Polish nationals who were arrested in Kano over their alleged involvement in the widespread waving of the Russian flag during the #EndBadGovernance protest.
On August 5, the secret police said its operatives arrested some tailors sewing Russian flags for protesters in Kano.
On the first day of the protest, some protesters were seen in Kano waving the Russian flags while urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene in the situation in Nigeria.
On Saturday, another group of protesters in Jos, the Plateau capital, were seen with Russian and Japanese flags.
On Monday, some protesters were seen holding Russian flags near the Nyanya bridge, a suburb in Abuja, the federal capital territory (FCT).
The trend has elicited reactions on whether the protesters in northern Nigeria are being influenced by foreign elements.
However, the Russian embassy in Nigeria has distanced itself from the display of the country’s flags during the protest.
Speaking during a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday with members of the diplomatic corps, Peter Afunanya, the DSS spokesperson, said the Polish nationals were arrested in connection with the waving of Russian flags during the protest.
Yusuf Tuggar, the minister of foreign affairs, conveyed the meeting.
Afunanya said the arrest of the suspects was not targeted at Polish nationals.
“For the persons that we have picked up from Kano, it was because of where they were found during the protest and display of the foreign flag in Kano that was two days ago,” he said.
“As a responsible security organisation, we owe it an obligation to do some verification and ascertain basic reasons and circumstances for some cases.
“They were picked as a result of security enforcement because of where they were when the incident happened. It is not a targeted operation.
“As the foremost domestic security organisation, we believe we have to work in sync with all of you who are men of goodwill, and our operations must be governed by democratic principles and protocol that emphasise freedom and human rights and, of course, intelligence and security governance.
“We obey all of this whether we are dealing with Nigerians or foreigners.”
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