Peter Afunanya, spokesman for the Department of State Services (DSS), said the Poles had waved Russian flags during the anti-government demonstrations in the north of the country.
The presence of such flags underscored concerns about increased Russian activity in West Africa, although the Russian embassy denied being behind the protests.
Afunanya said the Poles were detained during efforts by the Department of State Services to enforce security. He gave no details as to who they were but said the operation did
not target Polish citizens.
Polish consul to Nigeria Stanisław Guliński, who met with the Nigerian foreign minister and diplomats, said the group was arrested two days ago in Kano, the capital of a northern Nigerian state of the same name, and were being transported to the capital city of Abuja.
The Polish foreign ministry confirmed to TVP World that seven Polish citizens had been detained in Kano, specifying, that the group consisted of six students and a lecturer accompanying them.
The ministry spokesperson’s office said that Polish consular services were in touch with the their families as well as local authorities to establish what happened and to provide assistance to the arrested group.
Andrzej Szejna, a Polish deputy foreign minister, said that the Poles were not involved in rioting, let alone waving Russian flags.
“They are a group of African Studies students, who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. They carried no flags, although it appears they were taking photos,” Szejna said, adding that this was misinterpreted as participating in the protest.
He said that the group “have not been put in prison, they are in a hotel”.
Riots and government reaction
The protests, which in some places turned into violent riots, erupted in the northern, predominantly Muslim, states of Borno, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina on August 1, in opposition to the austere economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu.
Hundreds of the protesters waved Russian flags, with some even calling for a military coup.
After holding security talks with Tinubu on Monday, Nigeria’s chief of defense staff, General Christopher Musa, called the brandishing of a foreign flag during anti-government protests a “treasonable offense”.
At a Tuesday press conference, Musa voiced the military’s support for the Nigerian government.
He added that the authorities intended to hold those calling for a coup accountable.
Possible Russian involvement in protests
The protests in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, come amid increased Western concerns over Russian security ties with the region, including countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where military leaders have seized power in coups.
The most recent coup which is suspected to be carried out with Russia’s involvement was in Niger in late July 2023 and resulted in the toppling of the legally elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
The coup nearly led to a military intervention by the countries of the regional cooperation ECOWAS group, of which both Nigeria and Niger are members. The African Union suspended Niger’s membership in the continental bloc.
The Niger junta has also demanded that Western forces leave the country, echoing similar demands made earlier by Mali. The French military presence in Niger ended in late December 2023. The French have been subsequently replaced by
Russian military instructors.
