Shehu Sani, a former senator representing Kaduna central, says money and Russian flags were shared with youths in the northern part of Nigeria a day before the commencement of the #EndBadGovernance protest.

Sani spoke in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday.

He said the sharing of money and Russian flags has shown that the motive of the protest is not about the implications of government policies.

Nigerians have taken to the streets since August 1 in what they call the #EndBadGovernance protest, demanding solutions to the various challenges, including the rising cost of living and insecurity in the country.

However, the protest has turned violent in the northern part of the country, resulting in the looting and vandalisation of properties, unlike in southern Nigeria.

Another dimension to the protest in the north is the waving of Russian flags by some protesters, who are also calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene in the country.

Reacting to the development, Sani said there is “an attempt to create an atmosphere where there would be an overthrow of the government”.

The former senator said the nature of the protest was different in the north because the demonstration had no leadership, unlike in the south.

“What we have seen in the last few days is not a peaceful protest as far as I’m concerned from the northern part of Nigeria,” he said.

“The whole idea was hijacked, and the script changed as far as the north was concerned.

“Those who called for the protest must have come from Lagos or anywhere, but there was no visible leadership as far as Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, and all the states that experienced violence in the north.

“It is a fact that a protest has a rule. The first reason is that there should be a reason for people to protest.

“Of course, there is hunger and hardship as a result of the economic reforms, which are enough reasons for people to protest peacefully.

“Secondly, a protest also needs leadership. When you have leaders, who will lead the flock on the streets. Then, certainly, one of the responsibilities of that leader is to control the crowd and guide them.

“That was not the case in the north. What we have seen, especially in Kaduna State, where I come from, is that people were called out to the streets and then left on autopilot.

“Young people used the opportunity to launch attacks on public infrastructure, snatch motorcycles and phones, molest people, attack banks, and loot public establishments.

“The new dimension to this is that a day before the last protest, money was shared with youths, and then Russian flags were also shared.

“That shows that the whole intent of the protest is not simply about the policies and programmes of the government or objection to the removal of subsidy.

“But there was an attempt to create an atmosphere, where there would be an overthrow of the government. When you have this kind of situation, that means there is someone writing a script for anarchy, lawlessness, and disorder.”