Tear gas, gunshots disperse #FreeNnamdiKanu protesters in Abuja

Security operatives in Abuja on Monday used tear gas and gunfire to disperse a protest demanding the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

The demonstration, led by activist Omoyele Sowore, proceeded despite a court order restricting protests around key government zones and a police warning.

Protesters were met with a heavy security presence, which included soldiers and police officers barricading major routes to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, the Federal Secretariat, and the Three Arms Zone.

The protest began near the Transcorp Hilton hotel, but security forces moved in quickly. According to Sowore, who spoke on Channels Television, the protest was peaceful and unprovoked.

He alleged that a large contingent of security operatives arrived and immediately began firing tear gas and live bullets into the air.

“We told them we were not their enemies,” Sowore stated. “But suddenly, from nowhere, they began shooting at us.”

He confirmed that while no one was hit by live ammunition, several individuals were arrested, including Kanu’s younger brother and one of his lawyers, who were reportedly beaten before being taken to the FCT Police Command.

Sowore also claimed that bystanders were forced into police vehicles during the chaos.

The protest defied an interim injunction from the Federal High Court, which had banned demonstrations in the vicinity of sensitive government buildings.

The police had earlier warned that they would enforce the order and use digital evidence to track social media incitement.

Sowore, however, rejected the legitimacy of the court order, questioning why it did not also target groups protesting against Kanu’s release.

He revealed that a team of 115 lawyers was prepared to challenge the order once served.

Nnamdi Kanu, who leads the proscribed IPOB, was first arrested in 2015 on treason charges.

After being released on bail, he fled Nigeria but was re-arrested in Kenya in 2021 and controversially extradited.

A recent no-case submission was dismissed by the Federal High Court, meaning he will now face terrorism charges.

His lawyers have expressed concerns about his deteriorating health in detention.

The protest coincided with the fifth anniversary of the #EndSARS demonstrations, a movement against police brutality that ended in a deadly shooting at Lagos’s Lekki Toll Gate in 2020.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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