Police Fire Tear Gas as Sowore Leads #FreeNnamdiKanuNow Protest in Abuja

Security operatives fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Abuja on Tuesday as activist Omoyele Sowore led a march demanding the release of detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, defying a court order and police warnings.

The protesters, who gathered near Transcorp Hilton and other parts of the Federal Capital Territory, chanted slogans such as “Free Nnamdi Kanu now,” “It’s our constitutional right to protest,” and “Don’t tear gas us.” Despite volleys of tear gas, some demonstrators shouted “Tear gas cannot stop us” as they fled the scene.

Police arrived early at protest points, barricading major access routes to Aso Rock, Eagle Square, Unity Fountain, and the Three Arms Zone. All roads leading to the Federal Secretariat and nearby government buildings were sealed off.

Eyewitnesses reported that officers also fired tear gas near the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Utako, dispersing a crowd that was not part of the protest.

Sowore, speaking later on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, said the organisers had duly informed police before the rally. He alleged that “some protesters were arrested, and even bystanders were forced into police vehicles.”

He accused the Federal Government of deliberately stalling Kanu’s trial, urging authorities to “present their evidence before the court” instead of keeping him in prolonged detention.

The protest went ahead despite an interim injunction by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, restricting demonstrations around key government sites, including the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, and Force Headquarters. Police had warned that any breach of the order would attract arrest, saying they would use digital evidence to track online incitement.

Sowore, however, rejected the legality of the injunction, questioning why “no such order targeted protesters opposing Kanu’s release.” He revealed that 115 lawyers had volunteered to challenge the alleged order once served.

Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was first arrested in 2015 on treason charges and later released on bail. He fled Nigeria during his trial but was re-arrested in Kenya in 2021 and extradited under controversial circumstances.

Earlier this month, the Federal High Court dismissed his no-case submission, clearing the way for him to face terrorism-related charges. His lawyers have raised concerns about his deteriorating health and requested his transfer to the National Hospital, Abuja.

Governors from the Southeast region have continued to appeal for Kanu’s release, arguing that it would help calm regional tensions.

The protest also coincided with the fifth anniversary of the #EndSARS movement, which called for police reform and justice for victims of brutality. Many Nigerians marked the day in remembrance of those killed during the Lekki Toll Gate incident in 2020.