ABUJA, NIGERIA — At least 20 people were injured on Monday after Nigerian police clashed with protesters demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The demonstration, part of the ongoing #ReleaseNnamdiKanuNow campaign, took place in the Utako area of Abuja. Protesters were calling on the government to comply with a 2022 Court of Appeal judgment that discharged and acquitted Kanu. However, the ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court the following year, keeping the IPOB leader in detention on terrorism charges.
Kanu, who also holds British citizenship, has been at the centre of a long-running movement seeking an independent state of Biafra for Nigeria’s southeastern Igbo population.
Eyewitnesses said police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, injuring several protesters and journalists covering the event. Two staff members of the French news agency AFP identified as American reporter Nick Roll and Nigerian videographer John Okunyomih were among those arrested. Their filming equipment was damaged, and their phones were confiscated before their release two hours later.
Aloy Ejimakor, one of Kanu’s lawyers, was reportedly assaulted by officers during the confrontation. Another protester, Stephen Okon, said he and his son were injured when police started firing tear gas. “I was simply going to work when chaos erupted. I was beaten to stupor, and my son was hurt too,” he said.
Police spokesperson Ben Hundeyin confirmed that officers used tear gas but claimed protesters had tried to march towards key government sites including Aso Villa, the National Assembly, the Force Headquarters, and the Court of Appeal. He said the operation was to clear the road and allow other Nigerians to pass freely.
He did not comment on the reported assaults on journalists and civilians.
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