Security operatives fired tear gas to disperse protesters who gathered in parts of Abuja to demand the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The protest, tagged #FreeNnamdiKanu, is holding Monday which is also the fifth anniversary of the 2020 #EndSARS movement.
Our man reported that anti riot policemen shot tear gas canisters at the protesters at the Federal Ministry of Finance as they gathered to storm Force Headquarters.
Also, before the protest started on Monday morning, it was observed that major roads linking strategic government assets like the Dutse road linking Bwari were barricaded as early as 5a.m.
Mararaba, Lugbe and
Kubwa have similarly been blocked which led to traffic gridlock across all the express roads in the FCT.
Protesters, led by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and members of several civil society groups, had converged on the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Central Business District as early as 9 a.m., chanting solidarity songs and waving banners calling for Kanu’s unconditional release.
Within minutes, tear-gas canisters were fired into the crowd, forcing many to scamper for safety.
“This is not democracy. Shooting bullets and tear-gas canisters at peaceful protesters is dictatorship,” Human Rights Lawyer Inibehe Effiong posted via X (formerly Twitter).
Also, videos circulating on social media showed thick smoke filling parts of the street near the Ministry of Finance, as protesters and motorists struggled to escape the chaos.
The demonstrators said that continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, despite several court orders granting him bail, represents a “blatant disregard for the rule of law.”
Meanwhile, some demonstrators have been arrested, reportedly, though the police did not immediately confirm the number of detainees.
“The @PoliceNG team deployed to brutalize #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protesters arrested Nnamdi Kanu’s brother, and his lawyer, @AloyEjimakor, as well as innocent bystanders. They were beaten and taken to the FCT command. The police must release them immediately,” Sowore stated via X.
Kanu, leader of the proscribed separatist IPOB group, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021, facing terrorism-related charges that his supporters insist are politically motivated.
