Abuja Protest Fallout: Sowore, Rights Groups Slam Police Over Attack on Nnamdi Kanu Supporters

Police defend use of teargas; activists and analysts trade words over motives, brutality claims

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, was thrown into chaos on Monday, October 20, 2025, as security operatives clashed with protesters demanding the release of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

The protest, tagged #FreeNnamdiKanu, was led by activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2019 elections, Omoyele Sowore, who, alongside hundreds of demonstrators, marched through key streets of the capital demanding Kanu’s unconditional release after four years in detention without conviction.

The demonstration, which began peacefully, turned violent near the Aso Villa when police fired tear gas and warning shots to disperse the crowd, leading to pandemonium and heavy traffic gridlock across major roads in the city.

Among those arrested were Prince Emmanuel Kanu, younger brother of the IPOB leader, and Aloy Ejimakor, one of his lawyers.

Police Defend Action

In response to mounting criticism, the Nigeria Police Force defended its officers’ actions, saying the intervention was necessary to maintain order and prevent hoodlums from hijacking the protest.

In a statement shared on his verified X handle titled “CORRECTION,” the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, explained that the protesters “attempted to approach Aso Villa in clear contravention of a court order restricting protests around the Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.”

Hundeyin denied reports that officers fired live bullets at demonstrators, insisting that only teargas was deployed to control the situation.

However, viral videos circulating online showed Sowore and other protesters fleeing amid sounds of gunfire, sparking public outrage and condemnation from rights groups including Amnesty International, which described the police response as “a blatant violation of citizens’ right to peaceful assembly.”

Sowore, Analysts, and Activists React

Addressing journalists after the protest, Omoyele Sowore condemned the police for what he described as “unprovoked brutality” against peaceful demonstrators.
“We were attacked by the police because we are peaceful protesters. If we were bandits, they wouldn’t come near us,” Sowore said.

He also reminded authorities that the Court of Appeal in 2022 ordered Kanu’s release — a judgment the Nigerian government has yet to honour.
“That judgment ought to have taken effect immediately it was given, but the government did not honour it,” he said. “Fortunately, we have chosen a no-violence approach to resolving issues, but a generation will come that will not accept this nonsense.”

While Sowore and other activists defended the protest as a constitutional right, Oladotun Hassan, National Coordinator of the Coalition of Southern Groups and a human rights advocate, criticised the demonstration, calling it politically motivated.
“The protest is against the judiciary. Nnamdi Kanu has a criminal record, and people were massacred upon his instructions,” Hassan alleged.

In contrast, Public Affairs Analyst Dickson Iroegbu berated the police for what he called excessive force.
“They released not just tear gas but live bullets at peaceful protesters. It is unfortunate, and it can’t continue this way,” he said. “If the Nigerian Police tackled insecurity in Nigeria the way they tackled protesters, we wouldn’t have insecurity.”

Rights Groups Condemn Crackdown

Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have called for the immediate release of those arrested and urged the government to respect citizens’ rights to peaceful protest.

The Monday protest has reignited national debate over freedom of assembly, judicial disobedience, and police conduct in Nigeria. As demonstrators vow to continue their campaign, the government faces renewed pressure to comply with the 2022 appellate court ruling ordering Nnamdi Kanu’s release.

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