PROTEST: POLICE SPEAKS TOUGH AGAINST DISPLAY OF FOREIGN FLAGS, CLAMOUR FOR MILITARY TAKEOVER
As Police Torchlights Individuals Sponsored to Trigger Crisis in Nigeria
The Nigeria Police Force has issued a stern warning against the display of foreign flags during protests and calls for a military takeover, categorizing such actions as treasonable felonies under Nigerian law. This follows a wave of violent protests, particularly in Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina States, where protesters brandished foreign flags.
Ongoing investigations reveal that protest organizers in the states mentioned above are luring innocent children into participating in these unpatriotic and criminal acts. Over ninety suspects have been arrested, including tailors who sewed the flags and their sponsors. Efforts are underway to apprehend others who sponsored the production of the flags and fuelled these treasonable acts.
The display of foreign flags and calls for a military takeover constitutes a clear treasonable offense, revealing the motives of protest organizers to destabilize Nigeria’s democratic government. This aligns with actionable intelligence on the tactics of fifth columnists and non-state actors exploiting economic hardship protests to further their nefarious goals.
Tensions from the ongoing protests have eased following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s address on August 4, 2024. However, some groups persist in subversive campaigns in the form of violent and unlawful protests, characterized by the destruction of public infrastructure and private property, looting, display of foreign flags, and calls for a military takeover. These individuals and groups will be treated as subversive agents and charged accordingly.
The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has directed Deputy Inspectors General of Police for the Northwest and Northeast zones, DIGs Bala Ciroma, psc, and Bello Makwashi, to take charge of operations in the states within the two geo-political zones where subversive campaigns a