The Month of August 2024, began with series of "organised protests" carried out in various states in Nigeria against the Federal Government. 

Protesters for over 144 hours have been demanding improved governance at all levels in Nigeria, reduced cost of living, a stop to food insecurity, and many other demands. 

Reports have shown that during the first three days of the protest, residents in some northern states of the country especially Kano and Kaduna, resorted to looting and destroying some public properties as a result of what they called "Hunger".

There have also been reports made by security agencies that the ongoing protest in Nigeria is sponsored by some Nigerians in the diaspora.

To this effect, the Comptroller General of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Kemi Nandap, on Tuesday said the sponsors of the #EndBadGovernance protest in the diaspora are on a watch list and would be arrested when entering the country.

Nandap made this known in Abuja during a combined news conference by the heads of security agencies and Service Chiefs convened by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa at the Defence Headquarters.

She said “we have identified some diaspora sponsors, they are on our watch list. “Any attempt they make to come into the country, we will be notified and they will be picked up and handed to appropriate authority” she added.

The immigration boss therefore disclosed that the service had in response to the protest, deployed more officers to borders on both land and airports, in order to ensure effective manning of entry ports.

The Comptroller General revealed that NIS had also stepped up surveillance to prevent foreign intervention in the country.

Insisting that some Nigerians in the diaspora are responsible for funding the ongoing #EndBadGovernance, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, also disclosed that the police had uncovered some sponsors but declined to give further information on them.

Egbetokun said that some accounts of such individuals had been blocked, adding that “many of them reside abroad”.

Similarly, the Director General, Department of State Services, Mr Yusuf Bichi, represented by the service’s spokesman, Mr Peter Afunanya, said that the service was monitoring those concerned.

He added that the service was also working with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to identify more persons behind the funding of the protest.

Meanwhile, the defence chief led the service chiefs and heads of all the security, intelligence, and paramilitary agencies to brief newsmen on the nationwide protest.

The briefing came a day after President Bola Tinubu met with the security chiefs on the security situation following the violence that broke out during the protests across the country.