ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian security forces have arrested seven Polish nationals for carrying Russian flags during protests against economic hardship in the West African country, Nigerian and Polish authorities reported on Wednesday.
The Poles were arrested on Monday in the northern state of Kano “because of where they were found during the protests and because they had displayed foreign flags,” Peter Afunanya, a spokesman for Nigeria’s secret service, told a meeting of diplomats organized by the Nigerian Foreign Ministry in the capital Abuja.
Afunanya did not say whether the Poles who were detained were participating in the protests when they were arrested, nor was any evidence of their involvement provided at the meeting.
Among the arrested Poles were students and a teacher, the Polish Foreign Ministry said on X. It added that “the consular service is investigating the exact circumstances of the incident with local authorities.”
Thousands of mostly young Nigerians took to the streets across the country to protest the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation and against alleged bad governance that has hampered the country’s development despite being a major oil producer.
In several northern states, some protesters were seen waving Russian flags, a trend that has so far only been common in Africa, in countries hit by coups, where pro-Russian sentiments are growing as a result of military coups that severed ties with the West.
In response to a question from a Polish diplomat about their whereabouts, the Nigerian secret service spokesman said the service was open to cooperation with Poland on this issue.
“It is not a targeted operation against Polish citizens,” Afunanya said, although he did not elaborate on next steps in the case.
Nigeria’s secret service said Monday it had arrested the tailors who sewed the Russian flags, as well as those who “sponsored” them.
Analysts say the trend of waving Russian flags during protests, first seen in Nigeria, could be dangerous and shows how anti-Western and pro-Russian sentiment has grown in parts of Africa.
In a viral video from Kano state, a protester who appeared to be a teenager held a Russian flag next to a sign that read, “Russia, come help us.” Russia denies any involvement in the use of its flags in the protests.
Nigeria’s military ruler Christopher Musa said such acts constitute treason, which is punishable by death in the country and defined by Nigerian law as any act that, among other things, “incites a foreigner to invade Nigeria with an armed force.”
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