Security operatives on Monday forcefully dispersed Omoyele Sowore and other #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protesters in Abuja using tear gas and gunfire, as calls for the IPOB leader’s release intensify.
A joint team of security operatives on Monday forcefully dispersed protesters demanding the release of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, in Abuja.
Led by activist Omoyele Sowore and lawyer Aloy Ejimakor, the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protesters had gathered around the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) headquarters in Maitama, chanting “Free Nnamdi Kanu Now.”
They were later confronted by police and military personnel, who fired multiple tear gas canisters and gunshots into the air to disperse the crowd near Transcorp Hilton Hotel. Witnesses said the protesters fled in panic as the area filled with smoke.
“The police should not teargas us,” one protester was heard shouting moments before the crackdown.
It was not immediately clear if there were casualties or arrests. The demonstration comes amid renewed pressure on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to secure Kanu’s release or expedite his trial.