As nationwide protests against hunger and bad governance entered their fifth day, President Bola Tinubu convened a National Security Council meeting to address rising security concerns. Held at the President’s office in the State House, Abuja, the meeting focused on various security threats, including a new trend of protesters displaying the Russian flag in northern states.
After the meeting, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, briefed State House correspondents. He declared the act of hoisting foreign flags within Nigeria as a “treasonable offence” and emphasized the government’s zero tolerance for such actions. General Musa stated, “We went to brief Mr. President on the situation on ground…foreign flags have been flown within the sovereignty of Nigeria, and that is totally unacceptable.”
Since last Saturday, protesters in states such as Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Plateau have been seen waving Russian flags. General Musa warned that those involved in these activities would face legal consequences, noting, “We have identified those areas and we are going to take serious action against that.”
The protests, initially peaceful, have increasingly been hijacked by criminal elements, resulting in widespread looting and chaos. General Musa elaborated, “Criminals have taken over, a lot of looting taking place, stealing and all sorts of things are happening.”
Addressing concerns about the possibility of a coup, General Musa reassured the public, “Nigeria is a democratic nation… We will not accept anyone pushing or taking any action to want to push for any change of government.”
On allegations that soldiers participated in looting, the CDS clarified that investigations found no such involvement. He said, “We have investigated thoroughly… and there is nothing like such. No member of the Armed Forces fell into doing that.”
He reiterated the military’s readiness to intervene if protests escalate beyond control. “You can see that some people supervising elements to push individuals to carry Russian flags in Nigeria… that is crossing the red lines and we will not accept that,” General Musa said.
The security meeting was attended by Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, and National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. Also present were the heads of key security and law enforcement agencies, including the three service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
