Security sources say that members of the Shiite group, especially from the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, have joined the #EndBadGovernance protests in northern Nigerian cities like Kano, Abuja, and Jos.
These Shiite members are waving Russian flags during the protests.
The Shiite group is a small religious group mostly in northern Nigeria. Some think they might get help from countries with lots of Shia Muslims like Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain.
In Kano, young people protested in the streets. Some asked for Russian President Vladimir Putin to help Nigeria and wanted the military to take over the government. The protests kept going even after the government said people should stay home for 24 hours.
Similar things happened in Abuja and Jos. The Shiite group joining in has made the situation more complicated.
Someone from the government in Jos said they knew that sponsored groups had joined the protests.
Before telling people to stay home in Jos-Bukuru, Governor Caleb Mutfwang warned community leaders about these new groups joining in.
The police chief in Kano, Salman Garba, thought the protests might be political. He said some of the young people were part of a program supported by a politician he didn’t name.
Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, an important elder from Kano, was worried about people asking for the military to take over. He called these people troublemakers who want to cause problems for the country.
Yakasai said: “Before Gov. Caleb Mutfwang imposed a 24-hour curfew on Jos-Bukuru metropolis on Sunday, he warned community leaders that some sponsored groups had hijacked the protest.
“There are people who don’t like this country and are prepared to take advantage of anybody willing to serve as their agent to destroy the country or drag the country into a mess only to please themselves. These are anarchists. Is there anywhere in the world where anarchists made their country better?”