A security scholar, Professor Oyesoji Aremu has said the waving of Russia flags in the country portends great implications for internal security and should be seriously interrogated by the nation’s security agencies.
This is as he warned that the government must be on its toes to avert the situation in neighbouring countries like Niger Republic, Chad and Mali where military junta took over the reins of power.
Aremu, speaking with Tribune Online added that the situation again showed how porous the nation’s borders are, warning that security agencies should not take lightly the waving of Russian flags in the country.
Aremu said: “It depicts certain things concerning the internal security of the country. We should note that in countries that border the Northern states, like Niger Republic, they have military junta backed by the Russian government, though in a covert way.
“Also, Niger Republic, Chad and Mali pledge allegiance to the government of Russia. We should also know that we have porous borders. Even before the protest, people from Niger Republic infiltrated Nigeria during the election.
“So, in a way, these people have a way of entering Nigeria and there is this undisclosed allegiance with the people of Niger Republic and anything that happens there, one way or the other, happens to us.
“You will recall that when government closed the border, the people in the North were clamouring that the border be reopened because of the relationship, affinity, culture, language that they share with people from Niger Republic, Chad.
“So, when this protest was coming up, there is a way they communicate. And this is a way of telling the government that if government is not careful, what happened in Niger Republic, Mali, may happen in Nigeria. So, it has implication for internal security.
“When you begin to wave foreign flag in sovereign country, we should begin to interrogate that. The security agencies should begin to interrogate that. We should not just gloss over this; this should be interrogated because it portends further danger for internal security.”
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