Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, is in turmoil following clashes between security operatives and protesters of #freeNnamdiKanuNow march, who are
demanding the release of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday.

The demonstrators, led by the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, had converged as early as 6:50 a.m. around the headquarters of the Ministry of Women Affairs.

The protesters were chanting, “Don’t teargas us! Respect rule of law! We have rights to protest; we’re Nigerians!” when security operatives opened fire

Following the refusal of the protesters to disperse, security forces are said to have fired live bullets to disperse the protesters.

Before the clampdown, the protesters had vowed to march to the Presidential Villa to press home their demand for Kanu’s release, accusing the government of flouting court orders.

To ensure curtailment of the activities of the group of protesters, a combined team, drawn from the Nigerian Police Force, Guards Brigade, Department of State Services (DSS), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), had mounted heavy security around the Presidential Villa since Sunday.

At strategic points leading to the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, Court of Appeal, Force Headquarters, and the popular Eagle Square, armed personnel were stationed to prevent unauthorised movement.

Earlier, the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore led the protest in Abuja in front of the Trancorp Hilton Hotel.

The protest tagged: #freeNnamdiKanuNow was closely monitored by the police who barricaded the area to prevent further movement by Sowore and his group.

When the group refused to stop their advancement, the Police fired teargas near the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja to break up the gathering of the demonstrators.

A large contingent of police and military personnel had earlier surrounded the area, blocking access to nearby streets.

In the Utako area of Abuja, where the protesters regrouped after fleeing from the Maitama area, they continued chanting solidarity songs and displayed banners demanding the release of Kanu, before armed security operatives also forcefully dispersed them by firing teargas cannisters.

Meanwhile, traffic in Abuja has worsened as Security operatives extended roadblocks at the entry points of the city.

Combined security forces drawn from the Guards Brigade and the Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigerian Police have mounted more roadblocks at the entry points of the nation’s capital, and also at strategic places leading to the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, Court of Appeal Headquarters, Force Headquarters and the popular Eagle Square.

This led to heavy traffic gridlock around Bwari, Zuba, Nyanya axis and other entry points to the nation’s capital.The road that connects Bwari to the City Centre was blocked at the War College Area in Ushafa and at Dutse-Sokale area.

Reactions are trailing the ##FreeNnamdiKanu protest with the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday condemning the protest and describing it as “the hand of Jacob and the voice of Esau.”

The party stated that while freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are sacrosanct in any democracy, “what we are witnessing is far from a legitimate call for justice.”

Mogaji Seye Oladejo, spokesman of the party in the state described the protest as “a dangerous display of reckless politics, carefully scripted by desperate opposition figures who see chaos as their last political weapon.”

In a statement he signed, Oladejo said: “This so-called protest is not about justice; it is about political frustration. It represents the height of bitter, destructive politics, an attempt by those who have been roundly rejected by Nigerians at the polls to exploit national issues in search of cheap relevance.

“We find it deeply disturbing that certain opposition leaders, who should know better, are shamelessly endorsing and sponsoring these street theatrics.

“Their involvement reveals what can only be described as a classic case of the Biblical hand of Jacob but the voice of Esau, deceitful manipulation hiding behind the façade of activism. But let them be reminded: they will not gain in the streets what they have disgracefully lost at the polls.

“The insensitivity of the organizers and their sponsors is shocking. At a time when the South East is still bleeding from years of mindless bloodshed, kidnappings, and enforced sit-at-home orders, all consequences of violent agitation, these individuals have chosen to mock the memories of the victims. They ignore the tears of widows, the pains of orphans, and the devastation of communities ruined by senseless violence. Their protest is not a demand for justice; it is a betrayal of the sacrifices of the innocent.

“For years, ordinary citizens in the South East have lived in fear, traders afraid to open their shops, transporters grounded by threats, children deprived of education, and families shattered by insecurity. Yet, instead of standing with their people to heal these wounds, these political opportunists have returned to fan the embers of division, hoping to profit from instability.

“Let it be clear: no one is above the law. The case of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu remains a judicial matter properly before the courts. Nigeria’s judiciary is competent, independent, and capable of delivering justice without recourse to mob pressure or street intimidation,” the statement concluded.

Amid allegations of genocidal killing targeted against Christians in Nigeria, a rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has advised the Nigerian Government to take certain steps in order to end the controversy.

Although the Nigerian government has dismissed the claims of genocide as unfounded, Intersociety has listed 21 measures it said were required to return Nigeria to secularism, freedom of worship devoid of what it called ‘religicide’.

In a statement released on Sunday, and signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Head, Intersociety, Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Human Rights Lawyer/Head, Dept. of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Chidinma Udegbunam, Human Rights Lawyer/Head, Dept. of Campaign and Publicity, and Ogochukwu Obi, Deputy Head, Dept. of Int’l Justice and Human Rights, Intersociety said its stance was vindicated by the findings of Mike Arnold of the City of Blanco, Texas, USA.

The group outlined 21 measures to be implemented by the federal government, and advised the government to stop defending the indefensible, and that time was longer on their side.

The 21 measures include: “Ensuring the supremacy of the provisions of the country’s 1999 Constitution above all domestically enacted auxiliary laws including supremacy of Sections 10 (no state religion) and 38 (freedom of religion and worship) and the entire constitutional Chapter Four above any other law passed or deemed to have been passed by National Assembly by way of an Act or House of Assembly of any State by way of a State House of Assembly Law.

“Ending all semblances of ‘State Jihadism’ in Nigeria and allowing the country to be operated and governed on secularism guarded by the provisions of the secular 1999 Constitution.

“Ending and abolishing all forms of ‘structural, physical and cultural violence’ and enthronement of ‘negative and positive peace’ and ushering the country into ‘Human Security Governance’ and massive growth and development.

“Mustering enough political will to convene an electoral constituent National Conference where the country’s 384 ethnic nationalities and its multi-religious groupings shall be converged to discuss and agree on how best to live in peace, religious harmony and ethnically-induced peaceful co-existence.

“Nigerian Government must end crude, brutish, clannish, illiterate, hate, discriminatory and ethno-religious soldiering and policing especially in Eastern Nigeria.

“Nigerian security forces’ operations and law enforcements must be intellectually and intelligence driven and maddening resort to indiscriminate killings, wanton destruction of properties, hate policing and soldiering, ethno-religious profiling, false labeling, mass arrests, indefinite detention without trials, prosecutorial vindictiveness, mass criminalization, hearsay conclusions and jungle justice must be stopped and discontinued.

“There must be an end to flooding of Eastern Nigeria with senior Northern Muslim officers from the country’s security forces as heads of key military and policing formations in the two regions; a case study of Imo State where despite being a State with more than 95% Christian population, all the four key security and policing establishments are manned by senior Northern Muslim officers till date.

“There must be an end to Igbo-phobia, hatred and ethno-religious profiling including hatefully tagging every Igbo or South-East respected and independent person or group of persons or bodies as ‘IPOB-affiliated/sponsored’; just to wickedly and violently verbally scare them from adding their credible and independent voices on issues of critical national or regional public importance.

“There must also be an end to indiscriminate killings, abductions and disappearances in the East by security forces on the grounds of ethnicity and religion or by way of mass labeling the victims ‘IPOB or ESN’.”

Intersociety also demanded that security agencies must account for estimated 5000 Easterners, especially Igbo-Southeasterners, which it claimed were secretly face-bagged and transported at late night and dumped from August 2015 till date in several secret military and other security dungeons scattered in different parts of Northern Nigeria.

Also, “there shall be de-radicalization of the Nigerian security forces and their re-orientation and re-integration into Nigerian secularism and law enforcement professionalism.

“There must be an end to ‘lawless or above the law status’ accorded members of the Fulani population in Nigeria in which their jihadist elements must be routed out and disarmed.

“The Government direct or vicarious policy of facilitating the flooding into Nigeria of African jihadists of whatever names called, must end and jihadists presently quartered in the country’s mapped 11,129 forests disarmed and sent back to where they were directly or indirectly brought from.

“Nigeria’s indigenous farming communities displaced from their ancestral lands, must be restored and protected by the Nigerian Government.

“Nigerian Government and the country’s security forces must inexcusably give account of the whereabouts of more than 850 Christian hostages still held inside the Rijana Forest in Kachia County of Kaduna State.

“Abolishing Muslim-Muslim Presidency (occupation of offices of the President and the Vice President by Muslims) in Nigeria and restore power sharing arrangements between Muslims and Christians in places like Kaduna, Adamawa, Gombe, Kogi, Nasarawa, etc., using proportionality of Muslim and Christian population in the areas.

“Conducting a credible national census which has not been conducted since 2006 and identifying illegal aliens including gun-wielding jihadists among them and having them repatriated to their countries of origin.

“Putting national leaders of MACBAN, FUNAM and allied others on red notice, with a stated timeframe, by giving them matching orders to rout out jihadist elements within their foot-soldiers or herdsmen by having them disarmed, or be proscribed.

“Discontinuing jihad-enabler national policy of Fulani Cattle Ranching and flushing out Jihadists occupying vast areas of Niger State, Nigeria’s largest landmass State, recover the State from Jihadists and transform the State into Africa’s largest modern cattle ranching State, in the like of Ethiopia that recently inaugurated Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam worth not less than $5bn.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained Mr Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, and others from protesting in some areas in Abuja, including the Aso Rock Villa, on Monday for the release of detained Nnamdi Kanu.

The court also barred the protesters from any where close to the villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square and Shehu Shagari Way, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

Justice Mohammed Umar, on Friday, granted the ex-parte motion moved by the police lawyer, Wisdom Madaki, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), contrary to the earlier media reports in circulation.

The certified true copy of the enrolled order, signed by the court Registrar, Mr Kasim Muazu, and the presiding judge, Justice Umar, was made available to The Atlantic Bell on Saturday in Abuja.

The judge also made an order of abridgement of time “within which the respondents will respond to the application on notice to cause the ex-parte order be set aside on Monday, the 20th of October, 2025 at 9.00am.”

This was also contrary to some media reports that Justice Umar adjourned the matter until Oct. 21 for the parties to appear in court.

“The respondents are hereby restrained in the interim from protesting in the following Areas; Aso Rock Villa, or anywhere close to Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square and on Shehu Shagari way pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

“The court hereby abridged time within which the respondents will respond to the application on notice to cause this ex-parte order be set aside on Monday, the 20th of October, 2025 at 9.00am.

“The order of this court together with the motion on notice be served on the respondents today, Friday, the 17th day of October, 2025,” the judge ordered.

Justice Umar subsequently adjourned the matter until October 20 for hearing of the motion on notice.

“ISSUED AT ABUJA under the Hand of the Presiding Judge, Honourable Justice M. G. Umar, and the Seal of the Court this 17th day of October, 2025,” the enrolled order read.

The ex-parte motion, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2202/2025, the police, on behalf of FRN, sued five respondents.

They are Omoyele Sowore, Sahara Reporters Ltd, Sahara Reporters’ Media Foundation, Take It Back Movement (TIB), for the Transformation of Nigeria Or Any Form of Organisation or Any Other Person(s) Acting Either Express or Implied Instruction or Any Other Organisation or Group With the Like Intention; and Unknown Persons as 1st to 5th respondents respectively.

The motion dated and filed on October 16 sought one relief.

“An order of this honourable court restraining or ban protesters from protesting in the following areas, Aso Rock Villa or anywhere close to Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square and Shehu Shagari way.

“And for such further orders as this honourable court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this case.”

The affidavit in support of the ex-parte motion was deposed to by Bassey Ibithan, a police officer attached to Directorate of Legal Services, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Mr Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, had planned to organised the protest for the release of Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Sowore, the 2019 and 2023 presidential candidate of African Action Congress (ACC), had begun mobilisation for what he called a planned peaceful protest against the detention Kanu.

However, there have also been ongoing calls for political solution to Kanu’s trial who is facing alleged terrorism offence at the Federal High Court before Justice James Omotosho