Nigeria detains tailors who made Russian flags for anti-government protests

Nigeria's Department of State Services (DSS) also announced on X that it has detained several sponsors of the tailors, though details were not provided. The statement indicated that the investigation is ongoing, but the number of detained tailors or sponsors has not been disclosed.

On Monday, Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, held security talks with President Bola Tinubu. He described the waving of foreign flags during anti-government protests as treason.

"We have identified those (sponsoring them) and we are going to take serious action against that," Musa told reporters.

Protests in Nigeria

Since August 1, hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have taken to the streets to protest against President Tinubu's painful economic reforms, which have led to a partial suspension of fuel and electricity subsidies, currency devaluation, and inflation reaching a three-decade high.

Following a deadly police crackdown, the protests have subsided.

In the northern states of Borno, Kaduna, Kano, and Katsina, protesters were seen waving hundreds of Russian flags, with some calling for a military coup.

The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has denied any involvement in the protests.

Increased Russian activity in West Africa

The protests in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, come amid growing Western concern over Russia's security ties in the region, including countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where military leaders have seized power in coups.

The military junta in Mali decided to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine, which it accuses of being involved in the attack by Tuareg rebels on Russian Wagner Group militants.

On August 6, Niger announced a similar decision.