Former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has stated that flying Russian flags during protests is not a treasonable offense. Sowore argued that similar displays are commonplace, citing Christian leaders who fly Israeli flags in churches and many people who fly Palestinian flags in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
This statement comes in response to President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive for security agencies to crack down on individuals displaying foreign flags in Nigeria. Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, announced this stance during a briefing with State House correspondents after a National Security Council meeting on Monday.
Gen. Musa emphasized, “We are warning in clear terms, and the president has also instructed us to convey this: We will not accept anyone flying any foreign flag in Nigeria. That is considered a treasonable offense and will be treated as such. No one should allow themselves to be used for this purpose.”
In response, Sowore took to his X handle on Tuesday to describe the military’s position as diversionary. He asserted that the focus on foreign flags is an attempt to distract from the real issues driving the protests. Sowore said, “There is no crime in flying Russian flags during protests; it is not TREASON. Christian leaders fly Israeli flags in churches, and many people fly Palestinian flags in solidarity with Palestinians. This is a diversion to make Nigerians forget the reasons behind the #EndBadGovernance protests against the @officialABAT regime.”
He further criticized the government’s inconsistency, questioning, “If you truly care about the Nigerian flag, why did you allow the @HQNigerianArmy to kill young Nigerians waving flags and singing the national anthem during the #EndSARS protests in 2020? A bunch of liars! #RevolutionNow.”
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