Protesters in Kano who waved Russian flags during the #EndBadGovernance protests say they took the action to challenge the Nigerian government.
When a journalist immersed himself among the demonstrators in Kano City’s Kurna neighborhood to request one of the flags, he was directed to a man recognized as an Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) member.
For security reasons, the journalist—who wished to remain anonymous—observed that the Shi’ite group started waving Russian flags, which other protestors later picked up on.
But another demonstrator, identifying himself as Haruna, claimed to be unaffiliated with IMN when speaking with PREMIUM TIMES.
He said someone brought the flags to the protest to challenge the Nigerian government.
“I don’t know him, but what is the Nigerian government doing to us? The government must listen to our concerns; they must bring back the fuel subsidy. The only flag that I cannot raise is that of Israel,” Mr Haruna said.
Kano is predominantly Muslim, with a large Sunni population, where anti-Israeli sentiments are common.
IMN member Isah Bawa, from Fagge local council, confirmed the participation of Shi’ite members in the protests and the use of Russian flags but stated there was no directive from their leaders to do so.
“Shite members took part in the protest like other Nigerians who are hungry but there is no formal instruction from our leaders for members to wave the Russian flag,” Mr Bawa said.
A tea vendor, Abdullahi Maishayi, was detained by the State Security Service (SSS) on Sunday for displaying a Russian flag at his tea shop in Fagge. He was later released after denying knowledge of who placed the flag there.
“It’s a tea joint, we host all categories of people. I don’t know whether the person who hoisted the flag at the joint is a Shiite because I was not around when the flag was hoisted,” said Maishayi, who is not a member of IMN.
The display of Russian flags during the #EndBadGovernance protests in Kano was first noticed on Sunday and Monday in certain areas of the city.
On Monday, hundreds of protesters on IBB Way in Kano took advantage of a relaxed curfew to continue their demonstrations while waving Russian flags.
Several protest groups adopted the Russian flags, asserting they had no political agenda behind their actions.
The Russian embassy in Nigeria stated that the Russian government was not involved with its national flags being used in the #EndBadGovernance protests.
In a statement on Monday, the embassy clarified that neither the Russian government nor its officials were associated with the flag-waving.
The Nigerian government condemned the use of Russian flags and calls for a military takeover by some protesters, labeling such actions as treason.
