Officers of the Nigeria Police earlier today, Monday, October 20, fired multiple rounds of tear gas at people who were gathering on Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to push for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), forcing the people to scamper for safety.
Former presidential candidate and owner of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, is leading the movement for the immediate release of Kanu, who has been on trial on terrorism charges since 2021.
Kanu, who holds a British nationality, denied the charges. IPOB is seeking independence for what they call the Biafran nation in south-eastern Nigeria.
In spite of the court ruling against the protest, Sowore and those he has mobilised were bent on proceeding with the protest.
Police said they used tear gas to disperse the protesters. The police also blocked major roads in the FCT, causing heavy gridlock and confusion across several parts of the city.
Writing on X, Sowore said that security operatives had arrested several individuals, including Kanu’s family members and legal team.
The militant wing of IPOB, Eastern Security Network, has been accused of killings and other violent crimes. In 2017, the Nigerian government designated IPOB as a terrorist organisation.
Kanu was first arrested in October 2015 on terrorism charges, and in 2017, he jumped bail. He left Nigeria after a military raid on his home, with the court revoking his bail in March 2019 and ordered his re-arrest.
He was re-arrested in 2021. In 2022, an appeal court ordered that the charges against him be dropped, but the decision was overturned by the Supreme Court the following year.
His legal team is due to start his defence on Thursday after the court threw out their argument that he had no case to answer
