Nnamdi Kanu: Protest disrupts Abuja

Economic activities and movement in Abuja, the nation’s capital, were disrupted yesterday following the protest carried out to demand the release of the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. As early as 7:00am on Monday, hundreds of protesters led by the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement and former presidential […]

Economic activities and movement in Abuja, the nation’s capital, were disrupted yesterday following the protest carried out to demand the release of the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

As early as 7:00am on Monday, hundreds of protesters led by the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement and former presidential candidate of African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, hit the streets of the Federal Capital Territory.

The protesters, who were agitating for the release of Kanu, defied security forces’ several warnings and a purported court order barring the demonstrators from staging protest in the capital city.

Our correspondents, who monitored the protest, reports that the protesters arrived the Unity Fountain at about 6:50am with the aim of advancing towards the Federal Secretariat and the Presidential Villa.

Upon reaching the junction that leads to the Federal Secretariat beside Transcorp Hilton Hotel adjoining Maitama Area, the agitators were prevented from advancing further by a combined team of security personnel who stationed Armoured Personnel Carriers at strategic locations.

Kanu, who is facing a seven-count charge of terrorism and treasonable felony, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021.

The IPOB leader was first arrested in 2015, granted bail in 2017, and fled after a military invasion of his home in Abia State.

The demonstrators, made up of civil rights activists and members of pro-democracy groups, were pressuring the government to comply with the 2022 Court of Appeal judgment that discharged and acquitted Kanu.

Federal secretariat, banks, others under lock

Daily Trust reports that combined security forces drawn from the police, Guards Brigade, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had since on Sunday beefed up security around the Presidential Villa.

They mounted road blocks at strategic places leading to the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, Court of Appeal Headquarters, Force Headquarters, Federal Ministry of Finance and the Eagle Square.

The security beef up arose after the protesters insisted that they would march to the Presidential Villa to press home their demand regarding the detention of the IPOB leader.

This development, it was gathered, led to the closure of some ministries, department, agencies, banks located at the Federal Secretariat.

The ministries include: Ministries of Education; Labour and Employment; Police Affairs; Science and Technology; Health; Finance; Foreign Affairs; Women Affairs; Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs; Head of Service; among others.

Activities of other establishments like Servicom, VIO, FRSC and banks located in the same place were paralysed.

Speaking to our correspondent, a cross-section of civil servants said they stayed away from their offices in the nation’s capital to avoid being caught up in the potential crossfire that might arise between the protesters and the security forces.

A civil servant, who simply identified herself as Sandra, explained that she had to return home after seeing the gridlock on the road.

“I live in Kubwa, I had already taken a motorcycle to the junction where I would board vehicle to my office at the Federal Secretariat but I had to return home when I heard what was happening. I don’t want to be a victim of any crossfire,” she said.

A banker, Mr Olaniawo, said he was able to get to his workplace in Maitama Area because he left his home early, saying the security officers allowed him to pass after a thorough check.

Protesters flee as security personnel fire canisters, bullets

Shortly after the protest began when Sowore and others were marching around the Transcorp Hilton Hotel junction, and chanting solidarity songs, the operatives fired teargas canisters and rubber bullets to disperse them.

The leader of the protesters, Sowore, was seen fleeing the protest ground after the police officers refused to listen to their demands.

“Don’t teargas us! Don’t teargas us! Respect rule of law! It is our rights to protest, we have rights to protest, we’re Nigerians,” Sowore and other protesters said in a chorus form while cautioning some police officers before bullets and canisters were fired.

A few minutes after, the agitators regrouped at the Utako area to continue their demonstration while they continued chanting solidarity songs and displaying banners before security agents again used teargas canister to scatter them.

At the Berger roundabout, our correspondent saw a large number of soldiers with a gun truck mounted in the area.

Security operatives extend roadblocks to Abuja suburbs

Daily Trust gathered that a combined team of security forces drawn from the Guards Brigade and the Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigerian Police, extended their roadblocks to the entry points of the nation’s capital.

The development, which arose from the protest, caused traffic gridlock around Bwari, Zuba, Nyanya axes and other entry points to the nation’s capital.

Specifically, the road that connects Bwari to the City Centre was blocked at the War College Area in Ushafa and at Dutse-Sokale area along the road – the development that left some persons stranded.

A security source, who spoke to our correspondent, said the blockade of some roads on the outskirts of FCT became imperative to prevent “external aggressors” from infiltrating the nation’s capital.

“Every motorist entering the City Centre is being screened now. This is to separate infiltrators from the genuine Nigerians and law-abiding citizens. We can’t afford to allow unrest in the seat of powers,” the security official explained.

Another officer said an intelligence revealed that the protesters were restrategising and might likely mobilise more street urchins from the suburbs.

A civil servant, Isaac Babalola, in an interview with our correspondent, said he was forced to return home following the traffic jam at the War College Camp in Ushafa.

In the same vein, many motorists coming from the Mararaba-Nyanya axis while speaking to Daily Trust, expressed frustration over the development, saying they didn’t plan for what they saw.

Journalists, lawyer brutalised

Our correspondent observed that a journalist with AFP was brutalised as police officers broke his camera. A yet-to-be-identified police officer could be heard saying he would deal with the journalist. Also, the News Central Television’s crew was manhandled at the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Finance by some officials of NSCDC.

Similarly, Aloy Ejimakor, one of the lawyers representing the detained IPOB leader was among demonstrators arrested by the operatives.

Ejimakor said he was arrested alongside some protesters and taken to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command headquarters in Abuja. Daily Trust could not ascertain whether he had been released as at press time.

Businesses, workers count losses as Kanu protest grounds Abuja

Many business owners in Abuja were forced to shut down for the day over safety concerns. Several shops and markets in Wuse, Banex, and Mararaba remained closed, while traders who attempted to open reported poor patronage.

“I couldn’t open my shop today because everyone was scared of trouble,” said Peter Ayuba, an electronics dealer at Wuse Market. “Even if you open, no customer will come out with the tension in town.”

At the Smart Bridge Plaza, Zuma Garden, located along Utako, most shops were under lock and key. Only a few stores opened for business, but attendants complained of low patronage.

“We barely made any sales today. Customers are not coming in as usual,” a worker at a pharmacy said.

For street traders, the protest also took a toll. Agnes Ojeh, who sells banana and groundnut, said the situation affected her sales despite defying warnings not to step out.

“I was told not to come out today, but I have kids to feed,” she said. “I came all the way from Mpape and even met soldiers at checkpoints along the road. Still, I didn’t sell as much as I normally do because people did not come out to buy,” he said.

A barber who identified himself as Black Governor said Wuse Market was almost deserted as many Igbo traders refused to open their shops.

“The market was scanty, no good business was going on till around 6 p.m. when I left,” he said. “Utako Market was also closed earlier but later opened after security operatives restored order.”

He added that arrests were made by the police at Zone 6 to restore peace after some area boys attacked protesters.

A policeman at Utako, who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity, confirmed the arrests, saying the offenders were taken to the SARS office in Guzape.

Along major commercial corridors, including the Central Area, Jabi, and Nyanya, many offices operated skeletal services as workers either arrived late or stayed away completely. A trader at Mararaba Market, who identified himself as Uche, said most shop owners decided to stay home after hearing that protesters were heading towards the city. By 3pm, some level of normalcy had returned in parts of Abuja, but many residents still recounted how the protest disrupted their day.

Some traders who spoke to Daily Trust estimated that Monday’s disruption cost them nearly all their daily income, especially those dealing in perishable goods.

 

Situation in Umuahia

In Umuahia, Abia State capital, where Nnamdi Kanu hails from, the protest also disrupted commercial activities as residents deserted the streets, markets and locked up their respective shops.

Protesters were seen at different places singing, dancing as well as urging the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release Kanu.

Daily Trust observed that there were no vehicles on the road, making movement difficult. Business activities, banks, petrol stations, supermarkets, popular Isigate market, timber market among others were shut down while public and private schools were also under lock and keys.

At Afaraukwu community, the village of Nnamdi Kanu, residents were seen singing in protest. A respondent who identified himself as Chidi queried the reason behind the continuous detention of Kanu in DSS cell.

 

Kanu’s lawyer should be punished – Presidency 

Reacting, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, called for disciplinary measures against Ejimakor.

Onanuga accused the lawyer of professional misconduct after he participated in a protest in Abuja, demanding the release of his client.

The presidential aide, in a post on his official X handle, criticised Ejimakor’s action, describing it as “shambolic” and unbecoming of a legal practitioner.

“I wonder what Mr. Ejimakor was thinking when he decided to join this shambolic protest,” Onanuga wrote.

“As a lawyer, he should be aware of the principle of sub judice, particularly in relation to the ongoing treason case before the court.

“The prosecution has concluded its case, and it is now incumbent upon Mr. Ejimakor and the other lawyers to mount a strong defence for Kanu.”

The presidential aide accused Ejimakor of abandoning his professional responsibilities in favour of what he termed “extra-legal tactics” aimed at influencing judicial proceedings.

“Rather than focusing on preparing a strong case, Mr. Ejimakor has resorted to extra-legal tactics, joining a career anarchist, to influence the process,” Onanuga said.

He further questioned the lawyer’s adherence to professional ethics and urged relevant legal bodies to intervene.

“Ejimakor’s action questions his commitment to the ethics of the legal profession. Legal authorities should consider appropriate sanctions for the unethical conduct of the bearded lawyer,” he added. 

 

Way forward

Some analysts have expressed concerns over the situation.  A professor of law, Professor Okoh Akubo (SAN) described the Kanu matter as troubling.

Prof Akubo said the concern over how Kanu could be restrained from further “toxic self-determination talk(s) and whether his guarantors will not be in trouble”, should be an excuse to keep him in detention.

“I know that the courts at various points quashed charges against him but the government held onto him and initiated fresh charges against him and this is why he is still in court,” he said.

“It is true that those who break the law must be tried and if found guilty, convicted and sentenced. The worry is that the trial or lack of it, has gone one for too long and his continued incarceration is not supported by the grundnorm (the constitution of the land). No trial in a democracy can continue ad infinitum”, he said.

For his part, the president and director-general, Institute of Law Research & Development of United Nations (ILAWDUN) based in Washington DC, USA, Professor Cyprian Edward-Ekpo, Kanu ought to be released immediately and unconditionally, adding that if the government is worried about inflammatory comments from him, a gag order could be made and a motion to that effect could be filed before the court.

“However, restraining him from speaking his mind, may breach the Constitution of Nigeria and the International Human Rights Law as he has freedom of expression,” he said.

In a statement, the national coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, criticised the handling of the #ReleaseNnamdiKanuNow protest as undemocratic, while maintaining that Kanu’s continued detention has become an instrument of collective punishment.

“No government that silences its people can ever claim to be democratic. Nigerian rulers must stop this war on citizens and start governing with conscience,” he said.

The Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ezichi Chukwu told Daily Trust yesterday that the relevant organs of the national body have not taken a position on the current protest over Kanu’s release.

 

South, North stakeholders must be involved in a resolution – Security analyst

A security analyst, Dr Kabiru Adamu, described the 10-year trial of Kanu as “a national disaster” and a sign that the legal option adopted by the federal government has not worked so far.

Therefore, he proposed the involvement of stakeholders from not just the South East but also the North as the two sides most affected by the destruction of lives, government properties and businesses associated with Kanu’s actions.

“The reasons for his unending trial are many, let me emphasise that; and one of these is the nature of our laws as the offence for which Nnamdi Kanu is being tried doesn’t seem to have been properly codified within our laws. In other words, there are moribund laws that still exist within our national space, and unfortunately, the National Assembly, whose responsibility it is to legislate, look at moribund laws, review them and where possible, even introduce new ones, have not adequately done that.

“So, Kanu is being tried under laws for offences, which it is very obvious he didn’t commit, and because the government and law enforcement did not gather evidence that would convince a competent court of jurisdiction, the trial is being stalled.

“The second part is, what is the government’s exit strategy? You can’t in such a high-profile case continue trying someone, ridiculing your processes, making the person a hero or martyr.

“It seems to me, and that is the number three, that the most likely outcome would be a political solution where you bring all relevant stakeholders including him to ask what kind of commitments would you put on the table to allow for amicable political resolution that would appease all the persons.

“No doubt, Nnamdi Kanu’s actions have been associated with the killings of hundreds of Nigerians; no doubt, government institutions, police formations have been destroyed as a result of these actions, and several other issues, so this is not someone you would wish away.

“So, I think the government would need an exit strategy that would appear not only to his South East region and his supporters but also other parts of the country, especially the North for which properties, assets belonging to businessmen, who migrated to sell their wares in the South East, have been destroyed.

“So, the government needs that sort of exit strategy that would appeal to all stakeholders since they are not likely to prosecute him under the existing laws,” he added.

 

Kanu to open defence Oct 23

Following the statement by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to the Federal High Court in Abuja that Kanu’s health conditions are not life-threatening and certified him fit to face trial, Kanu’s trial is expected to continue on Thursday, October 23.

Justice James Omotosho slated the date for Kanu and his defence team to open defence in charges of terrorism against him after dismissing his no case submission on June 19.

The witnesses of the Department of State Services (DSS) had in June testified that Kanu’s inciting broadcasts and the formation of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) led to the destruction of lives and properties in parts of the country during the 2020 #EndSARSProtests.

Kanu was repatriated from Kenya for fresh charges in June 2021.