The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has assured that it will investigate the alleged involvement of a Nigerian citizen living in Russia in financing riots aimed at discrediting the government of Edo State.
The embassy, in a statement issued on Thursday, reacted to a statement by Patrick Ebojele, the press secretary of the governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, made on January 13, 2026, regarding student protests in Ekpoma, Edo State.
The embassy drew the attention to the fact that the drafts of two Russian-Nigerian agreements were currently under consideration by the Nigerian side, the signing of which would help to investigate any unlawful activities of Nigerian citizens in cooperation with Russian law enforcement agencies.
The statement said, “these are the Agreement on Cooperation between the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation and the Federal Ministry of Justice of Nigeria; the Agreement on Cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Interior of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“In addition, it should be noted that in 2018, the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters was signed, but it did not enter into force because the Nigerian side did not ratify it.
“We hope that work on these documents will proceed at a faster pace so that closer ties can be established between the designated agencies of Russia and Nigeria to prevent unlawful and criminal activities.”
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