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.

"As a responsible security organisation, we owe it an obligation to do some verification and ascertain basic reasons and circumstances for some cases.

“They were picked by security enforcement because of where they were when the incident happened. It is not a targeted operation,” the spokesperson stated.

He also issued a plea for international cooperation in maintaining global stability, urging other nations not to allow their citizens to be used as instruments for undermining domestic peace in any country.

Afunanya added, “As the foremost domestic security organisation, we believe we have to work in sync with all of you who are men and county of goodwill.

“Our operations must be governed by democratic principles and protocol that emphasises freedom and human rights and of course intelligence and security governance. We obey all of these, whether we are dealing with Nigerians or foreigners.

“But we have a plea. In the course of discharging of our duty, we also see that some Nigerians definitely would want to use foreign lands as a launch pad to attack domestic peace and stability.

"We plead that you do not offer your country to some persons who may be deviant or have a terrorist inclination in today’s global pursuit; if anything happens in a country, it affects the others. Nigeria is a country with a large population and I believe that the support other countries will give will help us.”

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Economic Community of West African States have called for dialogue to address the tension from the hunger protests.

This is as the international community expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, emphasising their importance for Nigeria’s future prosperity.

Diplomatic Corps

Speaking at a briefing of the Diplomatic Corps in Abuja on Wednesday, the British High Commissioner, Richard Montgomery, and his US counterpart, Amb Richard Mills, stressed the importance of maintaining dialogue and peace-building efforts to address the issues raised by the protesters.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened the parley to brief the international community about the protests over the economic hardships in the country.

The diplomats praised the Nigerian administration’s commitment to reform, while also urging continued dialogue to address the citizens’ concerns.

Montgomery commended the security agencies for their restraint in managing the protests, highlighting their avoidance of lethal force.

Racoon:
It may lost steam, but hunger amidst other many causes of bad governance leading to citizens suffering needless pain, and anguish are always the latent catalysts for any potential uprising. The calm waters are often the most turbulent.

helinues:
Hunger na brain resetting now

helinues:
We don defeat/beat una again with the protest narration. Na when would you guys start listening to things we say? Make una stop getting lost now

Racoon:
It is well known that you are always on the side of evil government always backing any and every of its anti-human policies. However, to every action( good or bad) there is always an equal and opposite reaction. Keep wallowing in this your warped thinking.

helinues:


We don defeat/beat una again with the protest narration.

Na when would you guys start listening to things we say? Make una stop getting lost now

Racoon:
It is well known that you are always on the side of evil government always backing any and every of its anti-human policies. However, to every action( good or bad) there is always an equal and opposite reaction. Keep wallowing in this your warped thinking.

Smithkafors:


Who you defeat?…wasting your time on imaginary stuffs.

No face your life, dey defend people w
Why no send you.

TopBanter:


Lol. Your the most bitter and hateful poster here. Never a positive, optimistic or cheerful post.

Always forecast of doom and gloom full of rabid rants against BAT. You're just pained the regime change you wanted did not happen. Frustrated hater.

Gadafii:
Bayo Onanuga/Reno: Peter obi sponsoring the protest

DSS: Arrests foreign nationals/sponsors

Immigration: .Sponsors of protest will be arrested when ever they enter the country

DSS again: Raids NLC Office
You see how APC government is chasing shadow abi 😂😂

TopBanter:
Lol. Your the most bitter and hateful poster here. Never a positive, optimistic or cheerful post.Always forecast of doom and gloom full of rabid rants against BAT. You're just pained the regime change you wanted did not happen. Frustrated hater.

Racoon:
Yeah! They are my thoughts or you want to warp or think them out for me? We all feel the elephant from our different sides of the divide. So rest and swerve.

helinues:


Bro , now imagine doing that for almost a decade on this forum, considering the psychological effects in real life, in real behavior, in real thinking.

Some of them are just on a long thing

helinues:


Let me dare you all the wailers on this forum pata pata . All of you whether in LP or Pdp. Make una mention just one Major support you have won over me on this forum for over a decade now. It's daring oo

If I can defeat all of you people together, then it's time for you people to start listening to whatever we say.

aswani, come and see the challenge oo, I dey wait any of them