Veteran journalist and on-air-personality, Reuben Abati has described protesters who hoisted Russian flags in Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Plateau states as “imbeciles” and “idiots” stating that they have committed treason.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
Abati, a former spokesman for former President Goodluck Jonathan in his commentary on The Morning Show on Tuesday, August 6 also stressed that the protesters who have been arrested for this crime must be punished.
Recall that protesters in the four northern states were spotted in a viral video hoisting the Russian flag as the protest in that part of the country enters its sixth day.
Abati said those who have been arrested if found guilty should not scream or talk about human rights.
“Those people carrying Russian flags are imbeciles and are idiots. They must also be told very clearly that they are guilty of treason. When they are punished because we have been told that the police have arrested many of them, let nobody come here and talk about human rights. When you raise a foreign flag against your country, that is the very height of insurrection against your own country,” Abati said.
“As I wrote in my column on This Day this morning, the Russian Embassy has said we know nothing about this but as a student of International Law and Diplomacy, what do I expect the Russian Embassy to say, they will play the right kind of diplomacy,” he said adding “this is a warning for the Nigerian government”.
Meanwhile, Russia has dissociated itself from the incident.
In a statement on Monday, July 6, the Russian Embassy in Nigeria said it has noted the reports in Nigerian media and the circulation of videos and images in digital media depicting protesters in northern states of the country carrying Russian flags and chanting slogans to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The statement read: “The Government of the Russian Federation as well as any Russian officials are not involved in these activities and do not coordinate them in any way.
“As always, we emphasize that Russia does not interfere in the domestic affairs of foreign states, including Nigeria. These intentions of some protesters to wave Russian flags are personal choices of individuals, and they do not reflect any official position or policy of the Russian Government in the issue.
“We respect Nigerian democracy and believe that peaceful demonstrations in conformity with the Nigerian law are a manifestation of democracy. However, should these events lead to any disruptions or acts of violence we strictly condemn them.”
