#EndBadGovernance Protest: Police warn against display of foreign flags, calls for military takeover

The Nigeria Police Force has warned against the display of foreign flags and calls for a military takeover, in the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests.

The police categorised such actions as treasonable felonies under Nigerian law.

During the protests in Kaduna, Kano, and some northern states, some demonstrators waved Russian flags amid calls for military intervention.

“Ongoing investigations reveal that protest organisers in the states mentioned above are luring innocent children into participating in these unpatriotic and criminal acts,” the police said in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

According to the statement, more than 90 suspects have been arrested, “including tailors who sewed the flags and their sponsors.”

The police noted that efforts are underway to apprehend others who sponsored the production of the flags and fuelled these treasonable acts.

“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,” the police said. “This aligns with actionable intelligence on the tactics of fifth columnists and non-state actors exploiting economic hardship protests to further their nefarious goals.”

The police claimed that President Tinubu’s address on 4 August had eased tensions among protesters.

They, however, blamed some groups for persisting 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 police declared.

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has directed deputy inspectors general of police for the North-west and North-east zones, Bala Ciroma, and Bello Makwashi, to take charge of operations in the states within the two geo-political zones “where subversive campaigns are ongoing under the guise of protests.”

The deputy inspectors general of police were tasked with stabilising the situation and preventing further violence in the affected states.

The protests began on 01 August and are expected to last for 10 days.

The protesters are demanding the reversal of unfavourable government policies.

The protests have turned violent in some states like Kano, Niger and Jigawa, and casualties have been recorded.