A coordinated wave of protests demanding the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, swept through the Federal Capital Territory and several South-East states on Monday, disrupting commercial activities and grounding transportation.
Monday’s demonstration, convened by activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, leader of the #RevolutionNow movement, also triggered heavy deployment of security personnel around key government facilities, including the Three Arms Zone, home to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court.
In Abuja, dozens of protesters were forcibly dispersed by security personnel who prevented the crowd from advancing toward the Villa. Access roads around the Three Arms Zone were also cordoned off, and federal civil servants were temporarily barred from entering key ministries for several hours. The diversions caused widespread traffic disruptions around the Federal Capital Territory.
At the Villa, armoured vehicles, soldiers, and personnel of multiple security agencies cordoned off the premises and major routes across the central business area.
At 6am on Monday, combined teams of soldiers, police officers, and operatives of the Department of State Services had taken up positions at strategic locations, sealing off access roads to the Three Arms Zone.
Stop-and-search operations were intensified, and movement around key government institutions was heavily restricted. Senior civil servants with official Villa tags were turned back at various entry points.
Those on foot were allowed to walk through the blockades while those driving were asked to reroute.
The lockdown led to severe gridlock for thousands of commuters from Nyanya, Karu, Mararaba, and Masaka who were delayed for hours on their way to work, reports say. Similar blockades were reported on the Dutse–Bwari axis and Airport Road, with advisories warning civil servants to seek alternative routes.
Security patrols were also intensified around Eagle Square, the Federal Secretariat, and the National Assembly complex, where anti-riot police and armoured personnel carriers were stationed to prevent possible convergence by protesters.
The protests were part of renewed calls for the Federal Government to comply with court orders directing Kanu’s release. The IPOB leader, arrested and extradited from Kenya in June 2021, remains in the custody of the DSS despite multiple rulings granting him bail.
Kanu’s supporters have consistently raised concerns about his deteriorating health, urgingthe government to free him to undergo medical treatment. The FG, however, maintained that Kanu faces serious charges bordering on treasonable felony and terrorism.
Sowore, who has remained vocal about human rights and government accountability, said the demonstration aimed to draw attention to what he called a “blatant disregard for the rule of law.”
In the days leading to the protest, Sowore used his social media handles to mobilise supporters, maintaining that peaceful assembly was a constitutional right.
He said the rally would be non-violent and urged the police to protect and not intimidate protesters.
However, security agencies had expressed concern that the protest could escalate into unrest around sensitive government zones.
Protesters, including Sowore and several activists, gathered at the Unity Fountain in Abujaearly on Monday, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards demanding Kanu’s release.
The police fired multiple rounds of tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd around the barricaded zones, a move that sparked tension.
The police has defended its enforcement of a court order restricting the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest from accessing key government areas in Abuja, insisting that its officers acted within the law and only used tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said this during an interview on Channels Television on Monday.
He explained that the decision followed a valid order from the Federal High Court obtained on Friday.
According to him, the order barred protesters from converging on or marching towards strategic areas, including the Aso Villa, Supreme Court, National Assembly, Eagles Square, and Shehu Shagari Way, among others.
“We got a court order specifically about this protest and restricting protests from certain areas like the Aso Villa, the Supreme Court, the National Assembly, Eagle Square, the Force Headquarters and Shagari Way. As a law enforcement agency, we are duty-bound to enforce that order,” Hundeyin said.
The spokesman explained that the Force acted after receiving intelligence indicating possible unrest if the protest reached those restricted zones, adding that the police were obliged to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
