Several posts on social media have suggested that one of the flags behind President Bola Tinubu during his national address on Sunday was Russian.
In a televised broadcast, Tinubu spoke to the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest and called for a suspension of the demonstrations, asking protesters to give room for dialogue.
Tinubu said persons taking advantage of the protests to foment trouble will be dealt with, adding that there is no place for ethnic bigotry in the country.
The president spoke at length about his achievements in office, defended his policies, and reiterated that the decisions he took were necessary for the economic revival and survival of the country.
The president was flanked by two flags — one which bore the national colours and another with a different emblem.
“Why is there a Russian flag next to the Nigerian flag? Is tinubu in Russia or something???” an X user tweeted.
Some comments under a post asking Nigerians to identify the second flag also said it belonged to Russia, with several social media users expressing fear.
The panic comes amid a growing trend of Russian flags sighted in Nigeria during the protests.
The flags were first spotted in Kano on Thursday and have been seen in Jos, Plateau capital, and the federal capital territory (FCT).
The protesters called for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intervention in Nigeria, accusing Tinubu of playing to the whims of his “masters” — the Western countries.
WHAT FLAG WAS BESIDE TINUBU?
The second flag beside the national flag bore four colours — red, blue, white, and green. These are the colours of the presidential standard of Nigeria.
The four-band flag which belongs to the Nigerian armed forces signifies that Tinubu is the commander-in-chief as well as the president.
It is not to be confused with the Russian flag which has three colours — white, blue, and red.
