Russian Flags: Nigerian Govt Frees 7 Polish Nationals Arrested During Protests in Kano

Russian Flags: Nigerian Govt Frees 7 Polish Nationals Arrested During Protests in Kano

  • The seven Polish citizens who were detained in Nigeria during the hardship protests have been released
  • Polish foreign ministry disclosed this on Wednesday via a terse statement and noted that the released persons are in Kano state
  • The spokesman of the ministry, Pawel Wronski, further confirmed the development and noted that the Polish citizens have had their passports, laptops, and belongings returned

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Seven Polish nationals arrested for allegedly waving Russian flags during the #EndBadGovernance protest in Kano state have been released.

Protest: The detained Polish students have been released
The Polish Nationals arrested during protests have been freed. Image for illustration purposes. Photo credit: BOL News
Source: Facebook

They were arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on August 5, 2024.

Some tailors accused of sewing Russian flags for #EndBadGovernance protesters were also arrested.

Read also

Protesters flood Rivers' streets as Governor Fubara issues new directives

The seven Polish nationals were accused of playing a “suspicious role” in protests against government policies and economic hardship, the DSS said upon their arrest.

However, Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Andrzej Szejna, said the nationals are six students and their lecturer who came to Nigeria from the University of Warsaw for an African studies exchange programme at Bayero University in Kano, Channels TV reported.

In an X post on Wednesday, August 28, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, announced that the arrested nationals had been released, TheCable reported.

The post read:

“Polish students have been released and are in Kano. The Minister @sikorskiradek spoke today with the representative of parents, Mr. Jacek Półrolniczak, and thanked the students’ families for the good cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thank you to everyone involved in the release of citizens.”

Read more about nationwide protest:

Read also

Breaking: Tension as gunmen kidnap Rivers revenue board director

Zamfara, Kano governors accused of sponsoring protests

In a related development, Legit.ng reported that an independent report has indicted Governors Dauda Lawal and Abba Kabir Yusuf of Zamfara and Kano states as major sponsors of the recently held nationwide protests.

The report condemned the roles played by the two governors in escalating the protests into violent and destructive actions.

The report, released by the Independent Coalition for Democratic Governance in Nigeria led by its convener, Dr Ben Omale Amodu, reveals a disturbing pattern of political thuggery and exploitation of public unrest for personal gain.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Esther Odili avatar

Esther Odili (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Esther Odili is a journalist and a Politics/Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng with 6+ years of experience. She Holds OND and HND in Mass Communication from the Nigerian Institue of Journalism (NIJ), where she was recognized as the best student in print journalism in 2018. Before joining Legit.ng, Esther has worked with other reputable media houses, such as the New Telegraph newspaper and Galaxy Television. In 2024, Esther obtained a certificate in advanced digital reporting from the Google News Initiative. Email: esther.odili@corp.legit.ng.