NIGERIA: Police Arrest Nnamdi Kanu’s Brother, Lawyer During Protest In Abuja – Sowore Says

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

The convener of the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has said that security operatives have Nnamdi Kanu’s brother and his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, during the protest in Abuja on Monday.

Sowore disclosed the development on his X account and a video streamed on his account where he was addressing the press.

He alleged that police officers assaulted and detained the duo along with other protesters.

According to him, those arrested were taken to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command headquarters.

Earlier reports indicated that security operatives fired live bullets and teargas canisters to disperse demonstrators demanding the release of Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The protest, which began peacefully around the Maitama area, later turned chaotic as panic spread through the Central Business District, forcing commuters to flee and leading to heavy traffic gridlock.

Ahead of the protest, the Nigeria Police had issued a warning against holding demonstrations in restricted areas of the capital city, citing a subsisting court order.

Police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin noted that the order prohibited protests near sensitive government institutions such as Aso Rock, the National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.

Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services since June 2021 after his re-arrest abroad and is facing terrorism-related charges at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Despite his continued detention, Sowore and other activists have maintained that they will not relent in their demand for his unconditional release.