By Sunday Apah
The Nigerian Police Force reported on Monday that they had apprehended 31 individuals on charges of treason for the production and distribution of Russian flags, inciting anarchy.
ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer, disclosed that 30 people were detained in Kaduna, while one person, involved in recruiting individuals for flag distribution, was arrested in Kano.
“We have also arrested individuals who were advocating for actions that amount to treasonable offenses,” stated ACP Muyiwa Adejobi.
“It is a criminal act to display the flags of a foreign nation on our soil, and we have taken them into custody.
This morning, Ahmed Tailor from Kano, in Kano local government area, was arrested for mass-producing Russian flags and distributing them to young Nigerians for reasons unknown to us.
We are investigating him and seeking out other sponsors like him. Similar incidents have occurred in Kaduna.”
“We have detained 30 individuals in possession of Russian flags in Kaduna. Let it be clear that, at this stage, we are not witnessing mere protests,” Adejobi added.
“The underlying motives of these gatherings, as indicated by our intelligence prior to the events of August 1, 2024, are beginning to surface. A peaceful protest such as #endbadgovernance should not escalate to the point where a foreign flag is raised in Nigeria.”
“The proliferation of this trend across different states raises concerns. Are we truly witnessing a protest anymore? This is a significant question to ponder,” Adejobi concluded.
