The news
KANO, Nigeria — Nigerian authorities are cracking down on anti-government protesters who waved Russian flags and chanted pro-Putin slogans in the country’s northern cities.
The nationwide protests to denounce rising living costs and “bad governance” began on August 1 and spread to the commercial capital Lagos and several northern cities last week. But security forces have been slow to respond to the unusual but growing presence of pro-Russian support at some of the protests in northern states including Borno, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina. This week, police said they had arrested several tailors responsible for making Russian flags. Nigeria’s police and defense chief both said that using foreign flags at protests and openly calling for a military takeover of the government is a capital crime under Nigerian law.
The Russian embassy in Nigeria quickly denied any involvement by its government or its officials. “As always, we emphasize that Russia does not interfere in the internal affairs of foreign states, including Nigeria,” the embassy said in a statement. “These intentions of some protesters to wave Russian flags are personal choices of individuals and do not reflect an official position or policy of the Russian government on this issue.”
Protesters who spoke to Semafor Africa in Kano said the Russian flags were a sign of strength on the world stage and a way to get the attention of Nigerian President Tinubu. “We are confident that if Putin intervenes, our demands will be met so that citizens can enjoy food,” said Naziru Muktar, 27. “Nobody gave us flags, we bought the flags ourselves.”
“I am a textile trader, I have volunteered 50 meters to produce the new flags and I collect them so that anyone who is interested can get them for free,” said Nura Musa Adama, 22. “We are doing this to raise our voices and address our concerns,” said Nura Musa Adama, 22.
Knowing more
Russia’s interest in Africa has been concentrated in West Africa’s Sahel states, the Central African Republic and Sudan, with little involvement in Nigeria beyond standard diplomatic relations. But in recent years, Russia has raised its profile on the continent, providing military support to governments including Mali’s ruling junta, which is battling a terrorist insurgency in the country’s north.
In recent years, Russian agents have been accused of spreading pro-Russian propaganda on social media in a number of African countries. Some protesters have also carried Russian flags in protest against the French presence in certain African countries.
The Russian government-backed paramilitary group Wagner is to offer Investigations have revealed that mercenaries are being paid lucrative salaries to aid military regimes in Africa rather than join Moscow’s forces in Ukraine, despite the group officially being disbanded last year.
Step back
The nationwide protests were sparked by a bid to end “bad governance” and address hardship in Nigeria over runaway food inflation, exacerbated by the removal of a popular fuel subsidy. The 10-day nationwide protests have seen hundreds of thousands of Nigerians take to the streets. But security forces have in some cases fired on protesters. Amnesty International reported that 13 people had been killed in clashes with security forces as of August 3.
In Kano, protest organizers claimed that over 200,000 people turned out on the first day, Abdulmajid Yakubu Daudu, chairman of the Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement in Kano, the organizer of the protest, said many believe the number is higher. Similar or high turnout of protesters was recorded in Borno, Kaduna, Gombe, Jigawa, Bauchi and several other states and cities in the north. “We are united in this protest because hunger and high cost of living are affecting everyone,” said Mukhtar Abdullahi, a young protester.
