The Nigeria Police Force has issued a stern warning against the display of foreign flags during protests and calls for a military coup.
The police said such actions are treasonable felonies under Nigerian law.
This statement follows recent violent protests in Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina States, where demonstrators were seen brandishing foreign flags.
According to a statement released by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, via X on Tuesday, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, emphasised the gravity of these actions, stating, “The use of foreign flags during protests and openly calling for a military takeover of the government is a capital offence under Nigerian law.”
The statement said that police investigations have found that some protest organisers are behind these activities.
The statement said, “Evidence shows that these sponsors have paid significant sums to exploit the hardship protests, brainwashing, and misleading innocent children into aiding this campaign against the government.”
Over 90 suspects have been arrested, including tailors involved in producing the flags and their sponsors. The police are actively pursuing others believed to be funding these “treasonable acts.”
Adejobi said, “The display of foreign flags and calls for a military takeover constitutes a clear treasonable offence, revealing the motives of protest organisers to destabilise Nigeria’s democratic government.”
In response to the ongoing situation, Egbetokun has deployed Deputy Inspectors General of Police, DIGs Bala Ciroma and Bello Makwashi, to oversee operations in the affected Northwest and Northeast zones.
The police have also warned Nigerian youths to be cautious of individuals and groups turning protests into business ventures, funded by local or foreign sponsors aiming to destabilise the country.
While acknowledging that tensions have eased following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s address on August 4, the police noted that some groups continue to engage in subversive campaigns in the form of violent and unlawful protests.
“Some groups persist in subversive campaigns in the form of violent and unlawful protests, characterised by the destruction of public infrastructure and private property, looting, display of foreign flags, and calls for a military takeover. These individuals and groups will be treated as subversive agents and charged accordingly,” the statement said.
The police expressed gratitude to citizens who refrained from participating in these protests and those who withdrew when demonstrations turned violent.
![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")
