Hunger protest loses steam as DSS grills seven foreigners

The hunger protests, which rocked the country, especially the northern part, from last Thursday, appears to have lost steam following the police crackdown on the organisers and protesters, many of whom had been detained.

Some of the #EndBadGovernance protest leaders have also gone underground and switched off their phones as the Department of State Services took custody of seven Polish nationals arrested for waving Russian flags during the demonstration in Kano on Tuesday.

DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, confirmed the arrests on Wednesday while explaining that the action was part of routine security enforcement rather than a targeted effort against Polish nationals.

The protest, which gained momentum in major cities such as Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Niger, Kebbi, Abuja and other northern towns, were marked by escalating violence.

 In some instances, security officials’ actions were the catalyst for the violence, while in other cases, it was driven by overzealous protesters or counter-protesters.

 A few days ago, media reports and footage showed some #EndBadGovernance protesters carrying Russian flags.

In a national broadcast on Sunday, President Bola Tinubu pleaded with the organisers of the nationwide protest to suspend the action as it had gone violent in some states with the attendant loss of lives and destruction of property.

However, the protests scheduled nationwide between August 1 and 10, 2024, seem to have faltered as the demonstration was not held in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Borno and other states on Wednesday.

The development followed the arrest of 873 protesters by the police, and detention of 30 others for waving the Russian flag during the protest in Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and Bauchi states.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa, had said the individuals waving the Russian flags committed treason and would therefore, be prosecuted.

The PUNCH reported that four political bigwigs, who hail from Katsina, Kaduna and Kano states, were being investigated for allegedly instigating the use of Russian flags by demonstrators in the north to orchestrate an unconstitutional regime change.

Confirming the probe of the seven Polish nationals, the DSS spokesman, Afunanya, explained that the action was in line with democratic principles and respect for human rights.

Afunanya addressed the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria during a briefing with the Diplomatic Corps in Abuja, on Wednesday.

“Seven persons were picked up from Kano because of where they were found during the protest and display of foreign flag in Kano two days ago.