The Nigeria Police Force in Akwa Ibom State arrested Elijah Noah, the state coordinator of the Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement, after armed officers moved to stop an Independence Day march in Uyo on Thursday.
The OK Movement is a political group working to actualise the presidential aspiration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
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The arrest followed a last-minute police directive cancelling all previously approved political rallies, meetings, and processions scheduled for 1 October, with the command citing intelligence suggesting that political gatherings could be exploited to cause disturbances.
The incident has now raised questions about how the police are balancing security concerns with citizens’ right to peaceful assembly as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.
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Mr Noah was among supporters of the OK Movement who gathered for a planned march in Uyo on Thursday.
A video reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES shows several armed police officers surrounding Mr Noah, dragging him towards a police vehicle and forcing him inside.
Witnesses who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said tear gas was fired as police moved to disperse the supporters at Edet Akpan Avenue, where the march was taking place.
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The police, however, denied that tear gas was used and said no firearm was discharged during the operation.
Police: Eight arrested
In a statement issued after the incident, police said they arrested eight people for allegedly engaging in acts capable of causing a breach of public peace and disregarding lawful security directives.
The command said the suspects were assisting with investigations and would be prosecuted if found culpable. It also rejected reports of shooting during the operation.
“No shooting incident was recorded in connection with the incident,” the police spokesperson, Timfon John, an assistant superintendent of police, said.
“Police officers discharged no firearm during the operation,” Ms John said, adding that no gunshot injury had been recorded or reported.
Why police stopped the march
Commissioner of Police Baba Azare told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview that the decision to stop the march followed security concerns and the potential for a clash between political groups.
He said the command had received a request from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on 9 September to hold political activities from 1 to 3 October and had approved it.
According to him, the OK Movement subsequently submitted a request on 28 September for a two-million-man march on 1 October, covering some of the same locations listed in the PDP’s earlier request.
The commissioner said the command invited the organisers to a meeting and advised them to choose another date to prevent a clash.
He said the police later decided, following a security meeting, that even the PDP should reschedule its approved activities because of the potential security implications.
Mr Azare said the OK Movement, including Mr Noah, attended the meeting at the police headquarters where the organisers agreed to reschedule the march.
He said the police were surprised when Mr Noah and others proceeded with the march on Thursday.
“When they came out, they were arrested and brought for investigation,” the commissioner said.
Mr Azare declined to disclose the specific intelligence that informed the security decision, saying the information was intelligence-related.
He said the police would prosecute those found to have violated the directive.
“We must charge them to court so that in future what will happen will not be disastrous,” he said.
The police’s account matches the explanation given to organisers before the march was stopped. The Obidient Movement’s state director, Benjamin Smith, earlier told Punch that the police cited insufficient personnel and the possibility of a clash with the PDP rally.
‘Police should provide security cover’
The police action has nevertheless drawn criticism from those who argue that security concerns should not automatically translate into preventing peaceful political expression.
Michael Enyong, the NDC governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom, told PREMIUM TIMES that the police response was excessive and called for the immediate release of Mr Noah and other detainees.
“I condemn this heavy-handed approach by the police. This is a direct assault on the Nigerian constitutional democracy and an infraction of the fundamental right to peaceful assembly,” Mr Enyong said.
He said citizens should be allowed to express their political preferences peacefully, particularly during the Independence Day celebration.
Mr Enyong acknowledged that some NDC members had agreed with the police to reschedule their activities. Still, he argued that this did not necessarily bind people outside the NDC who were participating in the OK Movement march.
He also called on the political leadership in Akwa Ibom to allow multiple political viewpoints to thrive ahead of the 2027 elections.
A legal practitioner, Ekemini Udim, also told PREMIUM TIMES that security considerations and the right to peaceful assembly must be considered together.
“Normally, the police do not have the right to stop a peaceful march. Rather, they have a duty and responsibility to give protection and cover to citizens of the country who peacefully assemble and express themselves,” Mr Udim said.
He said the police have a responsibility to protect lives and property, but argued this should not eliminate citizens’ right to demonstrate peacefully.
“As we build up to the 2027 elections, there is a need for the police to be more civil in their interaction with citizens of the country,” he said.
N20m mobilisation
The confrontation followed complaints by the Obidient Movement that the police directive had caused substantial financial losses to organisers of the planned march.
The movement said it had spent more than N20 million mobilising supporters across Akwa Ibom’s 31 local government areas.
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According to the movement, its organisers met with Mr Azare on 29 September, when the commissioner raised concerns about providing security for the planned two-million-man march, as the PDP also had an approved rally on the same date and at the same locations.
The police said its directive was non-partisan and intended solely to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
The command called on political parties and groups affected by the directive to propose alternative dates.
The development, however, leaves unresolved the central question raised by Thursday’s confrontation: whether the security concerns cited by the police warranted stopping a political march altogether, or whether the police could have managed the identified risks by providing security cover for a peaceful assembly.
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