Nigerian security operatives are investigating at least four northern politicians over the use of Russian flags during #EndBadGovernance protests.
Multiple sources told The PUNCH that political heavyweights from Katsina, Kaduna, and Kano states were the primary drivers behind the adoption of Russian flags by demonstrators in the north to fan the flames of an illegitimate regime change.
“You see, four principal actors have been identified in this issue. They are top politicians from Katsina, Kano, and Kaduna, and the security agencies are closing in on them,” said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter.
“They played prominent roles in the election of last year (2023),” the source added.
According to another source, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, “There is evidence of external influence mainly involving the politicians who are conniving with a West African and European country to cause mayhem and promote the use of the flags we are seeing. They want to do here what they did in some other countries.”
The statewide protests over hardship and hunger took a hazardous turn on Monday, with protesters in certain Northern states brandishing the Russian flag and chanting “Tinubu must go.”
Protesters in Kaduna were spotted carrying the Russian flag and yelling in Hausa, “Tinubu ze soka’ kaa’sa,” which translates to “Tinubu must step down.”
They also praised military forces who patrolled the city, singing “Tinubu yaa’so’ka, mu’na so soja,” which translates as “Tinubu, step down; we want soldiers.”
Russia, an Eastern power embroiled in a cold war with the West, has been blamed for multiple unlawful changes of government in West African countries, including Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, among others.
The Nigerian military declared on Monday that anyone flying the Russian flag is committing treason and will be “prosecuted.”.
It also stated that it is investigating individuals behind the move and will “take serious action” against them.
“That’s completely unacceptable. That is a treasonable offence, and it would be viewed and dealt as such,” said the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, following a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja on Monday.
In a statement on X, the Department of State Services arrested some tailors who were making Russian flags in Kano State, as well as some of their sponsors.
However, the number of demonstrators waving the flag decreased dramatically on Tuesday when state security forces cracked down on them in various states, arresting them and their suspected foreign sponsors.
Salman Garba, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, said that some foreigners suspected of being behind the protests had been arrested.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
