Police arrest foreigners ‘sponsoring’ protesters flying Russian flag in Kano

The Kano police command says its operatives have arrested several foreign nationals suspected to be the sponsors of the #EndBadGovernance protest in the state.

Salman Dogo, the police commissioner in Kano, spoke on Tuesday after a meeting with Abba Yusuf, the governor of the state.

Protesters started waving foreign flags in Kano on August 1, the first day of the protest.

The protesters waved Russian flags and called on President Vladimir Putin to intervene in Nigeria.

The trend spread to Jos, Kaduna, and Abuja, where protesters trooped to the streets with Russian flags.

Dogo said the development raised concern among security agencies, leading them to arrest the foreign suspects after intensified operations.

“The police and other security agencies will clamp down on anyone attempting to tamper with the security of the state,” Dogo said.

The police commissioner said authorities are taking necessary steps to ensure peace and order returns to the state, adding that the governor has also relaxed the 24-hour curfew to now run from 6am to 6pm.

Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff (CDS), had warned that it is a treasonable offence for #EndBadGovernance protesters to fly foreign flags in the country.

The CDS assured that security agencies will continue to defend the nation’s democracy.