Some Nigerians were seen in Kano waving Russian flags amid the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest calling for an end to economic hardship.
The protest has largely been marred by violence, looting, and destruction of public and private properties in the northern part of the country.
At least 14 people have been reported dead.
Organisers have labelled the nationwide demonstration as ’10 Days of Rage’.
In Kano, northern Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, pictures on social media showed protesters waving Russian flags as they marched through the city.
The pictures were taken on Thursday—the first day of the protests.
Also, on Saturday, hundreds of mostly underaged youths took to the streets of Kano, urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene in Nigeria.
The crowd defied the 24-hour curfew imposed by the state government and marched along Bayero University Road, where the Emir’s palace is located.
In Kurna Asabe, Fagge LGA, some of the protesters displayed placards with different inscriptions calling for a Russian military takeover.
The demonstrators expressed a desperate and urgent need for change, saying the current situation is unsustainable, noting that they would rather risk death from violence than continue to suffer from hunger and deprivation. “We rather die of bullets than to die of hunger; we cannot stay at home and die of hunger,” Auwalu Idi, a protester said.
“We cannot stay at home because we don’t have anything to feed our family—no water, no food, this curfew—that’s why we are out to protest again. We are raising the Russian flag because we believe Tinubu is playing his imperial masters’ scripts—the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the United States of America.”
Salman Garba, the state police commissioner, told reporters that some of the youths were hiding under a programme organised by an unnamed politician at the Nassarawa palace of Aminu Ado Bayero, the deposed Emir of Kano.
RUSSIA’S GROWING INFLUENCE IN WEST AFRICA
Russia has in recent years expanded its influence in Africa more than any other external actor. Russian engagements extend from deepening ties in North Africa and spreading its reach in the Central African Republic and the Sahel.
One of the demands on the placards raised by a protester in Kano read “End insecurity”.
Earlier this year, Russian military instructors arrived in the Niger Republic to train the West African nation’s army.
The deal was part of an agreement between both countries to increase cooperation as the West African country, one of the poorest in the world, grapples with jihadist rebellions.
Other French nations in the Sahel battling extreme terrorism have also turned to Russia for military assistance in the face of growing dissent against the West.
Analysts say northern Nigeria’s deep historical ties with neighbouring Sahelian countries worsened by porous borders have paved the way for Russian influence.
For 16 years, Nigeria has battled the Boko Haram insurgency, which has claimed millions of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands in the north-east region.
While the army says it has significantly subdued the terrorists, citizens argue that efforts to eliminate the armed group can be improved.
In June, a report claimed there is evidence that jihadi fighters from the Sahel region crossed into Nigeria through the Benin Republic border.
Meanwhile, some Nigerians, including a former general and ex-diplomats, have expressed worry after some protesters in the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest waved what appeared like the Russian flag.
They said the scene did not portend well for the country and warned Nigerians and the Federal Government to guard against foreign incursion.
Some prominent Nigerians raised concerns about the security implications for the country.
A lawyer, Bulama Bukarti, said the images indicated the growing support for Russia in Northern Nigeria.
He wrote, “Two aspects of the ongoing hunger protest in Nigeria particularly intrigue me. Firstly, there is a small but growing support for Russia and a corresponding rise in anti-West sentiment, especially in Northern Nigeria. Some protesters in Kano carried the Nigerian flag alongside the Russian flag, and there have been calls from some participants for demonstrators to bring Russian flags and photos of Vladimir Putin to seek Russia’s assistance.
“More concerning is that these protesters do not seem to be affiliated with any pro-Russian group; they simply made amateur flags as observed by @Aliyussufiy who took the first photo, suggesting that this sentiment is developing organically. This trend is likely to expand, especially as malign actors may observe and exploit it.”
A former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, asked the authorities to monitor the situation and take precautions. “This may indicate various underlying sentiments or influences that need to be carefully assessed and addressed by the government,” he added.
An award-winning journalist, Philip Obaji Jr. said, “President Vladimir Putin and Russia must be excited to learn that Russian flags were displayed by a number of protesters in Kano in northwestern Nigeria during today’s Enough Is Enough protest to #EndBadGovernace.”
Russia, an Eastern power, has been fingered in the coup d’etats in some West African countries, notably Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
The military governments of the three countries have also pulled out of the Economic Community of West African States being chaired by President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria.
A social media user, Kawu Garba, called on the Department of State Services to investigate the incident. He said, “Why are the protesters in Kano raising Russian flags? Is Russia sponsoring protests in Nigeria to cause anarchy? @OfficialDSSNG needs to investigate this.”
Also, a political commentator, Kayode Ogundamisi, said the protesters might be ignorant. He said, “Whichever of the divide that may be responsible for distributing those Russian flags, either pro or anti-protest, that person dey mad. You lot have ABSOLUTELY, no idea! Beware of what you wish for.”
The Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said he was not aware of the images but promised to get back to our correspondent. He had yet to do so as of press time.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, and the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, did not pick their calls and had yet to respond to the messages sent to them as of the time of filing this report.
Security experts raise the alarm
Analysing the presence of the Russian flag, a retired Brig.-Gen., Bashir Adewinbi, cautioned Nigerians against conspiring with external forces to undermine the country’s democracy and security.
While speaking with one of our correspondents, Adewinbi, described the situation as unfortunate. “It is unfortunate that some Nigerians are waving foreign flags in a national protest. Our people should be careful; they should not create room for anybody to destroy our country.
“I must say that a coup can never happen in Nigeria. There can be no coup attempt against President Bola Tinubu. The security chiefs are with him and he has educated them. I don’t think any senior officer will come out and announce anything like a coup in Nigeria. We are all united, we are for the unity of the people, and we will maintain it. We will protect our democracy.”
A former Nigerian ambassador to the Philippines, Yemi Farounbi, called on the organisers of the protest to avoid any external influence.
Farounbi said, “It is an unfortunate incident to fly the flag of a foreign country during your protest. When you recall that there is Russian presence in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Congo, one begins to wonder that you may be having an externalisation or an external indication of an internal domestic protest against certain circumstances.
“It is tragic, and I do not think that is what the organisers wanted. Certainly, that is not what Nigerians want. They do not want Nigeria to become impacted by ideological warfare between the West and the East. They do not want to see a replacement of Russia-backed military action in Nigeria.
“It is unfortunate. Perhaps, it is a reason for the patriotic organisers of the protest to stop the demonstration before it becomes something that some people will take over from them or turn Nigeria to a pawn.
“Those who are supported by this Russian regime have broken away from ECOWAS to form a separate body. It is something that other West African countries should be wary of.”
A retired Director at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Adesola Abolurin, called for the intervention of the Economic Community of West Africa States.
He attributed the call for Russian intervention in Northern Nigeria to the closeness of Niger Republic to the region.
Abolurin said, “This should not be unexpected given the volatile situation of that region, particularly since they are nearer to Niger Republic, so that is expected and, the organisers of the protest should have known that the protest will be hijacked by foreign agencies; where do they get the Russian flags from? They must have gotten them from across the border and one will expect that people will infiltrate our border from Niger and Somali and that is exactly what has happened now.
“The Russian flags must have come directly from the border. And the earlier the ECOWAS intervene in the crisis in the region, particularly in Niger Republic and Mali, the earlier they approach them, appeal to them to come back to the fold, the better.
“Already in Kano they have the issue of Emirship and this should have put into consideration by security agencies, but unfortunately, that was never done. They have a lot of problems already in the North, every little destruction in the North will escalate from the other side”.
A former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Professor Bola Akinterinwa, suggested that those waving the Russian flag and dancing during the protests might not be Nigerians.
“The people flying Russian flags and dancing during the protest may not be Nigerians but Nigeriens,” Akinterinwa said.
He emphasised that the protest, initially planned for August 1 to 10, could shift towards a more aggressive demand for President Tinubu’s resignation due to accusations of bad governance.
The former NIIA DG warned, “The situation we have now could prompt a coup d’état.”
On his part, a former Director of DSS, Mike Ejiofor, said the government and security agencies must not handle the issue with kid gloves.
“In the security circle, you don’t dismiss such negative display. You will recall that the DSS had an intelligence report that there was a foreign influence in what is going on and that what the protesters are trying to achieve is a regime change. Russia has no business in interfering in Nigeria’s internal affairs.
“We have to intensify our intelligence gathering efforts both the national intelligence agency and the state security service must look at these threats even though they had highlighted them earlier. Citizens must also be security conscious of whatever that is happening around them”, Ejiofor said.
Col. Abdulwahab Ademola Lawal, the Head of Research Savannah Centre for Development and Training said, “The main issue is about regime security and the Russians do not mind having military coup detat and military government in this State, but the US and the Western power are concerned about democracy. The Russians are trying to create regime security for authority in those places where they are threatened.
“This is a new trend that we should watch out for. It means that there are promoters of this new trend and the influence is pressing down from Niger and Mali to continue to distabilise Nigeria. Nigeria should be worried by this, we should be worried because it means that there is an extension of Russian influence in Nigeria now. If you look at what is currently going on in the Sahel, there is a lot of Russian influence in the Sahel, they are already in Sudan, they are in Mali, they are in Niger, they are in Bukina Faso, they are in Central African Republic, so Russian influence in Africa is expanding, I won’t be surprised if there are elements in Kano who want to gnashed into this question of Russian influence in Africa.
“The sentiment of most African countries now is anti-America, they are anti-France and they are looking for alternative security architecture, therefore it is becoming a trend across Africa. You are aware of the Wagner African corps, it is an influence that really pressing down on Africa, they are pressing down on Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic, it is a new trend of security challenges, the sovereignty of Africa is under challenge by Russia and so we are returning to the cold war era with the challenge between the West and Russia”.
Russia denies involvement
But the Press Secretary of the Russian Embassy, Yury Paramonov, denied Russia’s involvement in the ongoing protest in the country.
He said, “The Russian Embassy in Nigeria does not have any information about any groups of protesters using the Russian flag or other state symbols of our country. We have not seen such photo or video materials and would appreciate it if The Punch could provide us with such materials if they exist. Even if such incidents did occur, it would be the decision of individuals. We do not know why they might have used Russian flags.
“The Russian Federation is in no way involved in the current events in Nigeria. Moreover, Russia does not provide any material or financial support to the protesters.”
