#FreeNnamdiKanu protest turns rowdy as police tear-gas protesters, commuters

The Nigerian police on Monday fired teargas at the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protesters and commuters around the Central Business District (CBD) in Abuja at about 8 a.m., dispersing the protesters.

The police also blocked access roads leading to several locations including the National Assembly, Federal Secretariat and the Eagles Square, forcing commuters to trek long distances to these locations, PREMIUM TIMES observed.

---

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

Our reporters also observed a convoy of police, civil defence and military vehicles patrolling the Wuse-Berger axis of the capital city.

The protesters, led by Omoyele Sowore, have now moved away from the Transcorp Hilton hotel area, the venue of the protest.

However, some protesters still lurk around the area.

Normalcy has begun returning to the city as gridlocks eased around the roads leading to the city centre.

Mr Sowore, said the police team had arrested some protesters.

“The @PoliceNG team deployed to brutalise #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!,” he wrote on his X page.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Aloy Ejimakor, a lawyer in Mr Kanu’s legal team, also announced his arrest by the police on X on Monday.

READ ALSO: FLASHBACK: IPOB-linked atrocities, killings in Nigeria’s South-east 

The protest, organised by Mr Sowore, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress in the last general election, was to call for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who has been detained by the State Security Service (SSS) since 2021.

Mr Kanu is being tried at the Federal High Court in Abuja on for terrorism over his separatist activities.