Heavy security presence and confrontations marked a deserted Abuja on Monday, October 20, 2025, as security operatives mobilized to suppress a protest organized by Omoyele Sowore demanding the release of proscribed IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu.
Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, wore an eerie and deserted look on Monday morning, October 20, 2025, as security operatives took over major roads to suppress a protest demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)
Major landmarks, including the federal secretariat, the road leading to the national assembly, and the Central Business District, were deserted as security checkpoints dotted the city centre. Heavily armed officers and patrol vans were stationed at key intersections throughout the day.
Commuters who ventured out were “greeted with a fusillade of teargas fired by heavily armed security operatives,” according to reports. The demonstration was organized by Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and a former presidential candidate, who had promised to take the protest to Aso Rock, the nation’s seat of power. The police had previously warned that this move was going to be resisted. Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in June 2021.