The Nigerian Police Force has warned against the display of foreign flags and calls for a military takeover in the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests.
Police classified such actions as treasonable offences under Nigerian law.
During protests in Kaduna, Kano and some northern states, some demonstrators waved Russian flags amid calls for military intervention.
“Ongoing investigations reveal that the organisers of protests in the above-mentioned states are luring innocent children to participate in these unpatriotic and criminal acts,” the police said in a statement signed by the force’s public relations officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
According to the statement, more than 90 suspects have been arrested, “including the tailors who sewed the flags and their sponsors.”
Police said efforts are underway to arrest other people who sponsored the production of the flags and fueled these acts of treason.
“The display of foreign flags and calls for a military coup constitute a clear crime of treason, revealing the motives of the protest organizers to destabilize the democratic government of Nigeria,” the police said. “This coincides with actionable information on the tactics of fifth columnists and non-state actors who exploit protests over economic hardship to further their nefarious objectives.”
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Police said President Tinubu's speech on August 4 had eased tensions among protesters.
However, they blamed some groups for persisting in “subversive campaigns in the form of violent and illegal protests, characterized by the destruction of public infrastructure and private property, looting, display of foreign flags and calls for a military coup.”
These individuals and groups will be treated as subversive agents and charged as such, police said.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the Deputy Inspectors General of Police for the North West and North East Zones, Bala Ciroma and Bello Makwashi, to take charge of operations in states within the two geopolitical zones “where subversive campaigns are being carried out under the guise of protests.”
Deputy inspectors general of police have been tasked with stabilising the situation and preventing further violence in the affected states.
The protests began on August 1 and are expected to last 10 days.
Protesters are demanding a reversal of unfavorable government policies.
Protests have turned violent in some states including Kano, Niger and Jigawa, with casualties reported.