A protest intended to express public dissatisfaction with the way the Nigerian government was managing the country’s economy turned into a march that featured calls for a coup d’état and the flying of Russian flags.
By Shehu Olayinka
Sanee Thukur Sulieman, a Nigerian based in Niger Republic was amongst a number of Nigerians who partook in the ‘end bad governance’ protest that took place in over twenty states in Nigeria in August 2024. He had joined the protest, seeing how his fortune had swiftly declined in the past 14 months of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assumption into office as Nigeria’s president.
For Sanee, the hardship was becoming unbearable and had pushed him to seek greener pastures in Niger Republic, to make ends meet, feed himself and cater for his family.
He decried, in an interview conducted via Facebook in Hausa with this author, that the hardship was becoming intolerable while claiming that the difficulties forced him to move to Niger Republic in search of a means of survival.
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However, unlike many Nigerians who had trooped the street, Sanee instead took his protest to Facebook. He expressed strong views about the struggles that ordinary Nigerians face and changed his profile photo, which was once of himself, to a Russian flag, which has come to symbolise opposition to democratic governance in Africa.
We want a change, Sanee said. “We want a change in Nigeria. The Russian flag is a way to show people what is happening to us.”
Sanee was not the only Nigerian who posted the Russian flag on Facebook or changed their profile picture to either Russian President Vladimir Putin’s picture or the Russian flag during the protest. He joined several Nigerians on social media who had deployed the Russian flag on profile pictures as a form of protest against the current Nigerian government.
A few hours into the protest, flags of the Russian State began appearing on the streets of Kano State, a major Nigerian city that is 881 km from Niger Republic. In quick succession, more states emulated Kano – Borno, Kaduna, Bauchi, Katsina, and the Federal Capital Territory.
Like on many streets of some Nigerian states, Nigerians across social media platforms such as Facebook, X (previously Twitter), and TikTok posted either the Russian flag or pictures of Vladimir Putin on their timelines. Some adopted the Russian flag as their profile picture, while others swapped it out for Putin’s picture.
Others who chose to retain their profile picture resorted to posting contents about how Russia is the messiah and creating a poll asking people online to choose between Nigeria and Russia flags.
Online narratives that portrayed Russia as a saviour and the Western government as evil became more prevalent, particularly among Hausa speakers on Facebook.
That was not the first time such a narrative had spread online in Africa; such a narrative was observed before the Mali and Burkina Faso coups.
The Washington Post, in a report published in 2023, narrated how online narratives which described Russia and Vladimir Putin as saviours were used to topple governments in some African countries.
Russian flags had appeared alongside protesters in several northern Nigerian states as Nigerians protested against Tinubu’s running of the country’s economy, which has resulted in high living expenses for average Nigerians.
Tinubu had introduced two major and contentious policies which are the removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the naira, which have so far defined his tenure. These led to a spike in fuel costs, food inflation, and the shutdown of some businesses.
Seen as anti-people policies, it led to a nationwide protest in more than 20 Nigerian states tagged #EndBadGovernance.
Also, the Nigerian government’s response to the protest claimed several lives in several Northern states, including Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, and Niger states, after the Nigerian police used excessive force on protesters, which was condemned by human rights group, Amnesty International.
Amnesty International in a report released in November 2024, said its investigation into the crackdown on anti-government protests in Nigeria in August revealed that state officials had arrested over 1,200 people and killed at least 24 protesters.
It said protesters who had come to voice their disapproval of the skyrocketing cost of living were subjected to excessive force by the Nigerian police. It pointed out that at least 24 individuals, including two children, were slain by the Police.
They further disclosed that police fired live rounds at close range, targeting the victims’ heads and torsos, while some other victims were suffocated by the indiscriminate use of tear gas.
What was intended to be a protest against the government’s poor handling of the country’s economy turned into a platform for calls for the military removal of the democratically elected president and the flying of Russian flag.
Nigeria is not the first country where the Russian flag has been featured during a protest. Following the removal and arrest of President Mohamed Bazoum by the Niger Republic presidential guard on July 26, 2023, thousands of supporters of the coup marched through the streets of Niamey, the Nigerien capital, cheering and waving Russian flags.
Russian flags had also featured during protests in Mali and Burkina Faso, two countries ruled by military dictatorships.
Social media co-opted
As Russian flags started to appear on the streets of Kano and other cities in northern Nigeria, and as people on social media started using pictures of Putin and the Russian flag as their profile pictures, one voice stood in opposition. Abdurrashid Sulaiman, a Facebook user with more than 5,000 followers, emerged as a dissenting voice opposing the rising demand that protesters bring Russian flags to the protest ground.
“Carrying another country’s flag is a dangerous idea,” he said in a post he published in Hausa on August 4, 2024, on his account and shared on a more than 900,000-member Facebook group that has become a discussion forum for the protest. His words cut through the tense atmosphere, sparking debate among its members.
Sulaiman had shared his post in a Facebook group called, SOYAYYAR Facebook, which became a hub for discussions about the protest. Many members used the platform to call on protesters to carry Russian flags to the protest grounds, fuelling a growing narrative that linked dissatisfaction with the Nigerian government to a pro-Russian stance.
To understand why Russian flags became prominent both online and offline during the protest, this author monitored multiple social media platforms and conducted some analysis during and after the protests. It was discovered that discussions around the protest, relating to Russia, Russian flags, and Vladimir Putin were mostly found among Hausa-speaking social media users on Facebook and TikTok. Also, advanced searches were performed on Facebook and X (previously Twitter) with terms like “#EndBadGovernance”, “Russia”, “Vladimir Putin”, and “Rasha”—the Hausa word for Russia. In addition to endorsing the flying of Russian flags, several of these Facebook users also stated that they hoped Nigeria would replicate the political change in Niger Republic.
Apart from the SOYAYYAR Facebook group, where Sulaiman shared his post, the call for Russian flags to appear on protest grounds spread on multiple Facebook groups such as Freedom Radio (240,000+ members), Yobe in Focus (140,000+), and Arewa Radio 93.1 (400,000+). A social media analysis found Arewa Radio and Freedom Radio were the first to contribute to the spread of the calls for Russian flags at protests. Kano-based Facebook user, Umar Babs Dorayi, appears to have started the trend on Arewa Radio using unrelated protest images, while Arma Yao Abubakar did the same on Freedom Radio.
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Just like on SOYAYYAR Facebook group, discussions on Freedom Radio, Yobe in Focus, and Arewa Radio were conducted in Hausa, a language that is spoken as a first and second language by about 40–50 million people in West and Central Africa.
An analysis conducted on Arma Yao Abubakar’s Facebook account revealed that it was created on July 24, 2024, six days before the protest, while his call for the Russian flag to appear on protest ground was made on August 3, 2024, around 00:55 am Nigerian time, and was immediately shared on Freedom Radio Facebook group. Two posts followed with the same call for the Russian flag on protest ground.
His post, made in Hausa language, had read: “We will bring out the Russian flag🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺 to scare them and their motherland America & England. Everyone is on their own.” sic (Note: This is an English translation of what Arma posted in Hausa on August 3, 2024.)
His post read, “NOTICE TO ALL NIGERIANS 📢⚠️⛔️ Bring out the flags of NIGERIA and RUSSIA Others should come up with pictures of Tinubu and Putin Others should come out with pictures of Tinubu with the Military President of MALI, NIGERIA and BURKINA FASO. Abba Hikima AUDU BULAMA BUKARTI Jaafar Jaafar #NIGERIA.” sic (Note: This is an English translation of what Arma posted (archived) in Hausa on August 3, 2024).
Further analysis showed that Yaou is from Niger Republic. This was confirmed through the WhatsApp phone number he shared, where he had called on Nigerians to join a group he created for the protest.
Despite having less than 400 followers in the WhatsApp group, he had deployed the strategy of sharing his post on Freedom Radio Facebook group, which was also reshared by other members of the group.
A few hours after Yaou posted and shared his post on Freedom Radio group, calls for Russian flags began appearing on Facebook; multiple accounts were sighted changing their profile to either the Russian flag or a picture of Russian President, Vladmir Putin, with multiple accounts writing in Hausa, and asking people to attend the protest with a Russian flag.
Over at the SOYAYYAR Facebook group, multiple accounts called on protesters to carry Russian flags and display Russian flags on their profiles. The surge intensified on August 3, 2024, two days after the Russian flags first appeared offline at the Kano protest.
While some posts urged Russia to step in and labelled the country a failure, others advocated for a military coup.
Ibraheem Mu Azzam was among those who responded to the call; he participated in sharing the Russian flag on his Facebook profile and on SOYAYYAR Facebook group. He was also among those who carried the flag on the streets. In an interview, he stated that he favoured the Russian flag flying during the protest, as they needed Russia’s assistance to end the oppression of Nigerians.
Nigeria-based independent Journalist, Ijasini Ijani, who had covered the protest in Borno State, Nigeria’s northeastern region, said the call for Russian flags had happened because the protesters felt their voices would only be held if someone from outside speaks for them, hence the appearance of Russian flags on protest ground and Putin’s pictures on social media.
Ijani explained that deep distrust of the government and security forces was what drove the protest in the state. He also explained that the held belief that those carrying Russian flags were well uninformed was wrong, stating that the youths that had gone out to protest were doing so and were well aware of global events. “Many of them listen to BBC Hausa and other Hausa-language news services to keep up with international affairs. Many of these youths are deeply invested in what they are doing, driven by a sense of purpose and awareness rather than mere impulsiveness.”
He added that the flying of Russian flags during the protest might have been influenced by the previous coups in the Sahel and Russia’s expanding power in the area.
He further said Russia’s presence in the Sahel resonates with many in northern Nigeria, who share cultural and social ties with the region. “They closely follow events in Mali and other Sahel countries, observing Russia’s role and its impact. With smartphones and access to Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram, young people in northern Nigeria stay connected and are aware of global developments”, he said.
Also, Ijani’s claim that the events in the Sahel may have played a part in influencing the introduction of Russian flags to the #EndBadgovernance protest ground was echoed by Aliyu Dahiru, an investigative journalist with HumAngle who had covered the protest in Kano. According to Dahiru, the intention of those who went to protest with the Russian flags was to motivate the military to carry out a coup d’état.
Adeleke Ogunnoiki, a Ph.D. student and international relations expert in an interview, echoed both Ijani and Aliyu’s claims, stating that the situations in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger may have inspired those who took Russian flags with them to the protest grounds.
According to him, “What I will say is that some people who joined the #EndBadGovernance protest in northern Nigeria were inspired by scenes from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic, where pro-coup supporters waved Russian flags. Stating further that the claim that individuals with ulterior motives hijacked the protest holds weight, “They were likely behind the offline actions, including the children seen waving Russian flags in some northern states.”
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Also, apart from the individual Facebook users calls, a Hausa-written post that circulated widely on the SOYAYYAR Facebook group, including Arewa Radio and Freedom Radio groups encouraged Nigerians to join the protest with Russian flags, this author observed.
The post titled “From the flag of Russia to the protest can be the way out for the poor masses of Nigeria”, served as a call to action to protesters and why they should hit the streets with Russian flags.
The post was found on various accounts and generated likes, shares, and comments, according to an analysis of 50 Facebook profiles by this author.
The widely republished post suggested that the presence of Russian flags during the protest was a desperate appeal for help by the poor. Similar to the incidents in Niger Republic, the post recalled how protesters there successfully demanded France’s removal by waving Russian flags and pictures of their leader. “It was successful, and we have seen its influence,” the post read, adding that “May God grant us victory, and we will follow suit in Nigeria.” It ended with a call to action: “The protest and flags were successful in Niger; we should follow suit in Nigeria. What are your personal interests?”
On X, a pro-Russian account, Russia news promoted images of protesters waving Russian flags in English and Arabic, generating over a million views and hundreds of comments calling for Russia’s intervention in Nigeria.
On his part, a former presidential candidate in Nigeria, Adamu Garba, suggested Ukraine and the CIA, without providing evidence, of being behind the appearance of Russian flags during the #EndBadGovernance protest.
Calls to carry Russian flags also appeared on TikTok and Telegram. Unlike Facebook, where such calls intensified on August 2 and 3 — it began appearing on TikTok on August 3, 2024.
According to the result of a search on TikTok, around 30 users mentioned the Russian flag with references to the protest. During the protest, some users actively pushed protesters to fly Russian flags, while others merely shared videos and reported the protests.
An investigation published by Dubawa, an independent fact-checking platform, in November 2024 revealed that a Hausa TikToker who had also called for Russian flags to be taken to protest grounds was paid by a Russian organisation on a Telegram channel called Africa Initiative, pointing to the critical role the video-sharing app may have played in influencing people.
Africa Initiative is a pro-Russian news agency described as Russia’s new mouthpiece in Africa by Code for Africa, a non-profit African network of digital democracy laboratories and data journalism, in an article published in February 2024.
The organisation was created in September 2024 and has a website, Telegram account, and VKontakte (VK) account. The organisation’s largest social media platform is its Telegram channel, which has multiple versions including in Arabic, French, English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
The platform is filled with narratives about the Russia/Africa relationship and pro-coup posts that praise Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali. The channel also references the organisation’s main website: afrinz.ru.
In numerous posts made by Africa Initiative, both on its website and Telegram channel, it tried to blame western countries, governments, and NGOs as the cause of Nigeria’s economic problems that led to the protest.
The platform began posting about the protest on August 4, 2024 on multiple channels like Rutube and Telegram, while on the 5th it published an article (archived here) in which it interviewed a Nigerian former lecturer at Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Joshua Orabiyi, who blamed some Western countries, mainly the United States, for the economic problem in Nigeria that led to the protest.
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In a post on its Russian-language Telegram channel, Africa Initiative alleged that the protests, which were fuelled by Nigerians’ dissatisfaction with the rise in prices of commodities, were being stirred up by “public figures on American and European salaries.”
In another report (archived here) published on August 9, 2024, Africa Initiative tried to project that the protest may have been sponsored by international non-governmental organisations in Nigeria, this author observed. The report accused organisations from the United States, United Kingdom and Belgium involved in promoting and strengthening the democratic process in Nigeria.
In one instance, it tried to implicate the International Press Centre in Brussels (IPC), an organisation founded by the Belgian government to improve its media capabilities as one of the sponsors of the protest. It alleged that Omolola Pedro, a gender activist and fact-checker, works with IPC in Belgium; however, Pedro does not work with the IPC in Brussels, but IPC in Nigeria which operates independently of the IPC in Belgium.
Ogunnoiki also stated that the appearance of the flag during the protest demonstrated the need for the Nigerian government to invest in the media. “The government, civil society and media need to invest more in enlightening Nigerians on fake news in the media space. I believe this will enhance media literacy in Nigeria,” he concluded.
