About 40 people have been arrested in northern Nigeria for waving Russia’s national flag during protests against the high cost of living and what they feel is “bad governance”.<\/p>\n
Amid this crackdown, army chief Christopher Musa warned that it is a “treasonable offence” to fly the flags of foreign countries.<\/p>\n
Nigeria has seen six days of nationwide protests, in which at least seven people have died and more than 700 have been arrested.<\/p>\n
Demonstrators have been chanting slogans such as “we are hungry”, while a minority have been pictured waving Russia’s flag and voicing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n
According to local media, some of these protesters have called on Moscow to “rescue” them.<\/p>\n
The subsequent arrests are seen as an attempt to stifle any fledgling support for Russia in Nigeria, a leading oil producer and a key ally of Western powers.<\/p>\n
Several countries in the wider region of West Africa – including Nigeria’s neighbour, Niger – have pivoted away from the West and towards Russia after recent military coups.<\/p>\n
Civilian governments backed by the likes of France and the US had rapidly lost popularity – critics accused them of failing to tackle insecurity, corruption and economic problems.<\/p>\n
Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu came to power in May 2023 after winning fiercely contested elections.<\/p>\n
Satisfaction with his leadership has plummeted, with many blaming his policies for the sharp increase in the cost of living.<\/p>\n
He scrapped a long-standing state subsidy on fuel in his inauguration speech, causing pump prices to rise. The move also had a knock-on effect on the cost of food and other basic commodities.<\/p>\n
Mr Tinubu has urged frustrated Nigerians to be patient, insisting his policies would bear fruit.<\/p>\n
He has appealed for an end to the protests and held a meeting with security chiefs on Monday to assess their scale.<\/p>\n
Afterwards, army chief Christopher Musa said: “We are warning in clear terms that we will not accept anybody, any individual flying any foreign flag in Nigeria. That is a treasonable offence, and it will be viewed and treated as such.”<\/p>\n
The Russian embassy in Nigeria has distanced itself from the demonstrations, saying that the flags were the “personal choices” of protesters.<\/p>\n
“As always, we emphasise that Russia does not interfere in the domestic affairs of foreign states, including Nigeria,” it added.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the north-western states of Kaduna and Zamfara saw a massive turnout of demonstrators.<\/p>\n
Kaduna police spokesman Mansir Hassan said 39 people were arrested there, including a tailor who was “sewing the foreign flags for the group”.<\/p>\n
Close to 40 Russian flags were confiscated, as well as a Chinese one, he added.<\/p>\n
A curfew has now been imposed in Kaduna – the sixth state to take such action since last week, forcing millions of people to stay at home.<\/p>\n