Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, is on edge as security forces brace for a possible confrontation with protesters demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The protest, organised under the hashtag #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, is scheduled for Monday, with demonstrators planning to march on the Presidential Villa despite a Federal High Court injunction prohibiting any protest near sensitive government institutions, including the Villa, the National Assembly, and Eagle Square.
Justice Mohammed Umar granted the interim order on Friday following an ex parte motion filed by the Nigeria Police Force. The ruling, however, has not deterred organisers, who insist that the march will proceed as a peaceful demonstration in Abuja and across the South-East.
Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, said the rally would go on as scheduled, insisting that peaceful protest is a constitutional right. “Nothing shall discourage us! Marching peacefully anywhere in the country is our constitutionally guaranteed right,” he declared.
The organisers’ legal counsel, Maxwell Opara, also confirmed that no court order had been served on them, arguing that the protest aims to allow citizens to communicate directly with their leaders.
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, one of the key figures behind the protest, revealed that more than 115 lawyers, medical personnel, and journalists have been mobilised to support demonstrators nationwide.
The rally has received endorsements from major opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who both called for dialogue over Kanu’s continued detention. Obi argued that “negotiation remains the only sustainable path to resolving separatist agitations.”
Kanu, who faces charges of terrorism, treason, and incitement, has been in detention since his controversial extradition from Kenya in 2021. While some view his detention as political persecution, others insist it is a lawful prosecution.
Security agencies have responded with heightened alert. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deployed personnel across Abuja, warning protesters against vandalism or violence. FCT Commandant Olusola Odumosu said, “The corps will not condone any destruction or theft of public and private facilities in the name of protest.”
Similarly, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has declared all correctional centres as “Red Zones”, warning the public to stay clear to prevent security breaches.
As tension builds, the nation watches closely to see whether the rally—coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests—will remain peaceful or spiral into confrontation.
