In Kano, some protesters were seen waving Russian flags, and those involved have recently spoken about their motivations.
A journalist embedded with the protesters in the Kurna area of the Kano metropolis reported that the idea of waving Russian flags originated from members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).
The journalist, who chose to remain anonymous for safety reasons, mentioned that the Shi'ite group members were the first to wave the Russian flags, subsequently influencing other protesters to adopt the same action
However, another protester, who identified himself as Haruna said that he was not an IMN member. He said a man brought the flags to them at the protest ground to spite 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.
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,” Mr Maishayi, who is not an IMN member, said.
A spokesperson for the IMN, Abdullahi Musa, did not respond to phone calls and text messages to comment on the development.
Kano is a predominantly Muslim state with most of the population being Sunni Muslims. Anti-Israeli sentiments run high among most of the Muslim population.
An IMN member in the Fagge local council area, Isah Bawa, acknowledged the participation of the group’s members in the protest and the use of Russian flags but denied that it was an order from the Shiite organisation.
“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.
Abdullahi Maishayi, a tea vendor, was arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) on Sunday for hoisting the Russian flag at his tea joint in the Fagge area.
This is why Northerners are hosting the Russian flags, they explained to AIT reporters. But who must have passed this knowledge to them? #EndBadGovernanceProtest pic.twitter.com/SKOfoHdLVn
— Peter Obi Grassroots Mobilization. (@PO_GrassRootM) August 7, 2024
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