The Russian government has distanced itself from allegations linking it to recent hunger protest in Nigeria.
The government said claims linking it to the protest were coordinated media campaigns by Western and Ukrainian officials in attempts to meddle in Nigeria’s internal affairs and “shift the blame for any consequences onto the Russian Federation.”
Russia in a letter to the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs which was shared on Friday by the official Press Secretary of the Russian embassy in Nigeria, Yury Paramonov, faulted statements it credited to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Director of the British Council in Nigeria David Roberts, and the Ambassador of Ukraine to Nigeria, Ivan Kholostenko suggesting that the use of Russian flags during recent protests is evidence of Russia’s interference.
Recall some protesters during the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest in August were seen waving the Russian flag while chanting slogans, a development that has since generated controversies.
Russia in reaction to the recent allegation on the Nigerian protest claimed that the United States, Britain and Ukraine were linking it with the protests to destroy the cordial relationship between it and Nigeria, advising the Federal government to ignore the claims.
