Security Forces Disrupt Pro-Kanu Protest in Abuja
Arrest Organisers Including His Brother and Lawyer
Security operatives on Monday disrupted a planned #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja, arresting key organisers including Prince Emmanuel Kanu, brother to the detained IPOB leader, and his legal counsel, Aloy Ejimakor.
The demonstration, spearheaded by rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore, aimed to mount pressure on the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu, who has been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021.
Security forces swiftly intervened as the protest kicked off near Transcorp Hilton in the Maitama district. Barricades were set up on all major routes leading to the Presidential Villa and Central Area, effectively halting the march before it could advance.
Heavily armed police and military personnel deployed teargas and fired live rounds into the air to disperse demonstrators. Attempts to regroup at Utako and Aso Mechanic Village were similarly thwarted by security operatives.
The crackdown triggered panic across Abuja, with workers, commuters, and business owners fleeing for safety. Teargas affected nearby businesses and passersby uninvolved in the protest.
Among those reportedly detained were two journalists with Agence France-Presse (AFP), alongside several demonstrators.
Sowore, posting on X (formerly Twitter), condemned the police’s actions, accusing them of assaulting and unlawfully detaining peaceful protesters, including Kanu’s relatives and legal team. “They were beaten and taken to the FCT command,” he alleged, demanding their immediate release.
Ejimakor confirmed his arrest in a separate post, writing: “We’ve just been arrested. Myself, Prince Emmanuel, and others. We are at FCT COMMAND CID, No. 1 Zaria Street, Garki 2, Abuja.”
The police had previously issued warnings against protests near sensitive government buildings, citing a Federal High Court ruling that designated such locations as no-protest zones.
Police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin reiterated that while peaceful assembly is a constitutional right, it must be exercised outside restricted areas such as Aso Rock, the National Assembly, Force Headquarters, and Shehu Shagari Way.
By 11:00 a.m., calm had begun to return to parts of the city, although security remained heavy across the Central Business District and surrounding zones. Despite the clampdown, a small group of defiant protesters continued chanting and waving placards in the Apo Mechanic area.
Nnamdi Kanu is currently facing terrorism-related charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
