Nigeria has arrested seven Polish nationals for raising Russian flags during anti-government protests in Kano this week, Peter Afunanya, spokesperson for the Department of State Services (DSS) said.
Since August 1, hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been protesting against President Bola Tinubu’s severe economic changes, which include the partial elimination of petrol and energy subsidies, currency devaluation, and inflation reaching three-decade highs. Some of the protesters have flaunted Russian flags.
According to Amnesty International, 22 individuals have died during protests in at least six northern states, with additional protestors slain in Kano.
This week, some protesters waved Russian flags during protests in northern states, underscoring concerns about increased Russian activity in western Africa. Security services detained some of the tailors they said had made the banners.
Afunanya said the Poles were detained during efforts by the DSS to enforce security. He gave no details as to who they were, but said the operations were not targeting Polish citizens.
Stanislaw Gulinski, a Polish consul to Nigeria, confirmed the arrests at a meeting between Nigeria’s foreign minister and diplomats in the capital, Abuja.
“They were arrested two days ago in Kano and last I heard, they were on the plane to Abuja from Kano,” he said.
Gulinski declined to comment further when approached by Reuters.
“The Abuja (diplomatic post) was informed about the arrest of a group of Polish students and a lecturer in Kano, northern Nigeria,” the Polish foreign ministry wrote on social media platform X.
“The consular service is establishing the exact circumstances of the incident with the local authorities in order to support our citizens. The ministry of foreign affairs remains in contact with the families of those detained.”
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has called the brandishing of a foreign flag during anti-government protests as a “treasonable offence” after he held security talks with President Bola Tinubu on Monday.
In the northern states of Borno, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina, protesters were seen waving hundreds of Russian flags, with some calling for a military takeover.
The Russian embassy in Nigeria denied any involvement.
