The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Christopher Mustapha has cautioned those flying the Russian flag, saying it is a treasonable offence.
Some #EndBadGovernance protesters in the northern region of the country have been spotted waving the Russian flag as the demonstrations entered Day 5.
That has sparked a wave of comments from several quarters including the CDS who described the move as unacceptable.
“All of us have seen where foreign flags have been flown within the sovereignty of Nigeria, and that is totally unacceptable. We are warning in clear terms and the President has also said we should convey this: that we will not accept anybody, any individual flying any foreign flag in Nigeria,” the CDS said in Abuja after a meeting with other service chiefs and heads of security agencies with President Bola Tinubu on Monday.
“That is a treasonable offense, and it will be viewed and treated as such. So, nobody should allow himself to be used by any individual.”
‘Take Serious Action’
According to him, most of those flying the flags are children who are being sponsored, describing the action as crossing the red line.
Already, security agencies have arrested some suspects for mass-producing the flag. The Department of State Service (DSS) said it has also nabbed their sponsors in Kano.
“For those of them flying flags – and if you’ll see a lot of them are kids being pushed to do that. We’re following up with those sponsoring them,” General Musa said.
“Those are pushing them because you know, the flags were also made. We have identified those areas and we are going to take serious action against them.”
The CDS reiterated security agencies’ resolve to defend the country’s democracy.
“Also, regarding the issue of coups, Nigeria is a sovereign nation. Nigeria is a democratic nation all security agencies are here to defend democracy and ensure that democracy continues to strive,” he said.
“We will not accept anyone pushing or taking any action, seemingly or for whatever reason to want to push for any change of government.”
Presidential Plea, Looting, Destruction
The #EndBadGovernance protests started on August 1 as Nigerians poured into the streets to demand the government’s attention over the country’s harsh economy that has seen the naira greatly devalued and the cost of living reaching new levels.
After three days of demonstrations, President Bola Tinubu addressed the nation and asked the protesters to leave the streets as their voices had been heard.
He insisted there is no going back on the removal of fuel subsidy which has pushed the price of the commodity thrice higher. Tinubu asked them to dialogue with the government, reeling out efforts by his administration to address the country’s challenges with inflation now at 34 per cent.
Initially, the protests were largely peaceful. However, things have gone awry in some parts of the country, especially in the northern region. Looting and destruction have greeted the demonstrations as a swathe of young people trooped to the streets.
Some state governments introduced a raft of measures including the imposition of curfews – already being relaxed – to address the situation. But the protesters have continued their demonstrations, waving the Russian flag and destroying properties.