Nigeria detains tailors who made Russian flags for anti-government protests

An armoured military vehicle parks on a street, during anti-government demonstrations against bad governance and economic hardship, in Abuja, Nigeria August 5, 2024. REUTERS/Marvellous Durowaiye

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria has detained some tailors for making Russian flags that were waved during anti-government protests this week in northern states, the state secret police said, in a move that underscores concerns about increased Russian activity in western Africa.

The Department of State Services (DSS) also said in a post on X that it had detained some of the tailors' "sponsors", without elaborating. It said an investigation was ongoing. It did not say how many tailors or "sponsors" had been detained.