The Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, has revealed that sponsors of the recent #EndBadGovernance protest based in the diaspora are under close surveillance.
According to report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nandap announced that these individuals will be arrested upon their return to Nigeria.
During a press conference held on Tuesday at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, convened by Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, Nandap stated, “We have identified some diaspora sponsors; they are on our watch list. We will be notified of any attempt they make to enter the country, and they will be picked up and handed to the appropriate authority.”
In response to the protest, NIS has increased border security and surveillance, deploying additional officers at land and air entry points to prevent foreign intervention.
Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, confirmed that the police had also identified some sponsors but did not disclose further details. “Several accounts linked to these individuals have been blocked. Many of them reside abroad,” Egbetokun stated.
Mr. Yusuf Bichi, Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), represented by spokesman Mr. Peter Afunanya, indicated that the DSS is monitoring the situation and collaborating with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to track the funding sources of the protest.
“We are working diligently to identify those behind the protest’s funding,” Afunanya said.
The briefing by the security chiefs and heads of all security, intelligence, and paramilitary agencies followed a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the security chiefs, addressing the recent violence during the nationwide protests.
President Tinubu on Sunday in a national broadcast had pleaded with the organizers of the nationwide protests to suspend especially as it has gone violent in some states with the attendant loss of lives and destruction of property.
The president also convened a meeting with security chiefs to tackle the violence and looting that have arisen amid the protests. The government is stepping up its efforts to control the situation and avert further escalation.
The protest has taken a contentious turn with some demonstrators displaying Russian flags. The federal government has condemned this act as “treasonable,” leading to increased security measures.
President Tinubu has ordered a crackdown on those flying foreign flags, calling it a serious offense thereby arresting individuals involved in distributing the flags.
