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Polish authorities said that the detained students and lecturer were not carrying any flags. They were taking photos, which was wrongly interpreted as they were taking part in the agitation.
Nigerian security forces have detained seven Polish nations, including six students and a lecturer, for allegedly displaying Russian flags during protests against economic hardship in the West African nation. Both Nigerian and Polish authorities confirmed the arrest. The arrest of Poles took place in the northern Kano state.
Police did not say if the Poles being detained were participating in the protests when they were arrested, nor was there any evidence of their involvement presented at the meeting. There are some reports that the University of Warsaw confirmed those detained were students and a lecturer who were in Nigeria for a study trip organized by the university.
Polish authorities said that the detained students and lecturer were not carrying any flags. They were taking photos, which was wrongly interpreted as they were taking part in the agitation.
Thousands of mostly young Nigerians had poured onto the streets across the country to protest against the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation and against alleged bad governance that has stifled the country’s development despite being a top oil producer.
In several northern states, a few protesters were seen waving Russian flags, a trend that until now was only common in Africa in coup-hit countries where pro-Russian sentiments are growing off the back of coups by militaries severing ties with the West.
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In response to a question by a Polish diplomat about their whereabouts, the Nigerian secret service spokesman said the agency was open to working with Poland on the issue.
