#FreeNnamdiKanu Protest: Police have arrested me

Aloy Ejimakor, a prominent member of Nnamdi Kanu’s legal team, has reported arrest by the Nigerian police just at the start of the protest for the release of the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Abuja on Monday.

In a short post via his X handle at 7.58 a.m. on Monday, Mr Ejimakor, who had been part of the mobilisation for the protest intended to be held in Abuja and other parts of the nation, said he was arrested alongside others.

“We’ve just been arrested. Myself, Prince Emanuel and others. We are at FCT COMMAND CID. Myself, Fine Boy and others. No 1 Zaria Street, Gariki 2, Abuja,” he wrote.

For several weeks, the planned protest has sparked intense public debate and recently led to a lawsuit. On Friday, the Federal High Court in Abuja approved of the demonstration but imposed restrictions on certain areas where it cannot take place.

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The court barred the protesters from assembling near sensitive government sites, including Aso Rock Villa, the National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.

But the organisers led by human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, said the court order had yet to be formally served on them and vowed to go ahead with the protest as planned.

The police also promised to abide by the court order and asked the protesters to stay off the places designated by the court as no-go areas.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Ejimakor was seen along with Mr Sowore in a video clip shared on social media, leading protesters chanting ‘Free Nnamdi Kanu now’ near the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) building in Maitama District of Abuja.

The 1.55-minute-long video clip ended where a sudden burst of gunshots dispersed the protesters. Mr Sowore was seen in the clip running away from the scene and a voice was heard from one of the protesters saying, ‘Let’s go to Berger’.

It is not clear yet if that was the scene where Mr Ejimakor was arrested.

Mr Kanu, who was recently ruled to be fit to stand trial, is expected to open his defence on Tuesday.

Mr Kanu has been in detention after he was arrested in June 2021 in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria to continue facing his terrorism trial which dated back to 2015.

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The IPOB leader, who is agitating for an independent Biafra, is accused by the Nigerian government of inciting violence and killings in the South-east to actualise the independence of the region along with parts of the neighbouring states as a sovereign nation.

The spokesperson for the FCT police command, Abuja, Josephine Adeh, declined to comment on the arrest of Mr Ejimakor on Monday. The superintendent of police said she was not in charge of communications regarding the protest.

The officer, whose phone number Ms Adeh shared as the one designated to speak about the demonstrations, also said he was not in a position to provide information when contacted by our reporter.