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| Omoyele Sowore and others protests in Abuja for release of Mr. Kanu |
Simultaneous protests erupted across Nigeria on Monday concerning the continued detention of separatist leader Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.
In the southeastern region of the country and many parts of Abuja, a general strike brought business and travel to a standstill. In the nation's capital, Abuja, the protests were met with a heavy-handed response from security forces. Roads were blocked, and police attacked the peaceful demonstrators.
The protest stems from the government's refusal to release Mr. Kanu, despite a 2022 court of appeal ruling that ordered his discharge. Mr. Kanu's pro-Biafra group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and human rights group condemn his imprisonment as a political persecution.
During the Abuja protests, police arrested Mr. Kanu's lawyer— Aloy Ejimakor and brother— Emmanuel Kanu, and attacked a former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore.
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| In the southeastern region of the country and many parts of Abuja, a general strike brought business and travel to a standstill. |
Protesters on the ground expressed deep frustration, framing the detention as a clear injustice and an act of persecution.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu committed no crime, his peaceful demand for a referendum is not a crime. He is being persecuted because he is an Igbo man. They can't do that to anybody else. This government which have been freeing Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists that have killed thousands of Nigerians, want to kill Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Mr. Uchenna Okafor told Gazette Africa in Abuja.