Calm returned to Abuja and Lagos Monday after the tension generated by protesters over the ongoing trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, was brought under control.
Kanu is currently before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges of terrorism.
He was first arrested in 2015 and charged with treasonable felony, for calling for the independence of the Igbo-dominated South-east along with some parts of the neighbouring states as a sovereign Biafra state.
The IPOB leader was granted bail in 2017 and subsequently fled Nigeria after soldiers invaded his home in Afara-Ukwu, Abia state, in September 2017.
He was outside Nigeria and rearrested in Kenya June 2017, and brought back to the country for continuation of his trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
…The protest
During Monday protest, demonstrators were seen carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Free Nnamdi Kanu Now” and “Obey Court Orders,” as they gathered around key government areas in the city.
Among other demands, they called on the federal government to release Kanu, who has been in detention since 2021.
As early as 7am in the morning, armed police and other security agents were sighted stationed at strategic locations, including the Federal Secretariat and Eagle Square, to prevent the protesters from accessing restricted areas.
Blueprint.ng observed that the heavy presence of security personnel caused temporary gridlock within the city centre.
One of the protesters who spoke said: “Government has disobeyed court rulings by not ordering Kanu’s release. His continued detention he said amounted to injustice.”
The protesters, who had earlier been forced to flee after police fired tear gas canisters at them around the Maitama area, later regrouped at Utako to continue their demonstration.
Using the #ReleaseNnamdiKanuNow platform, the protesters, led by Omoyele Sowore, called on the federal government to obey the 2022 Court of Appeal judgment that discharged and acquitted Kanu.
The demonstrators who initially gathered around Transcorp Hilton, Maitama, were dispersed by armed security operatives who fired tear gas at them.
The development caused some momentary confusion with traders, motorists and commuters scampering for safety.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had prior to Monday, restricted the demonstrators from protesting around the Vila and its environs.
Following this order, security was beefed up around the Federal Capital Territory, with stern looking armed operatives being stationed at the Eagle Square, the Federal Secretariat, the Three Arms Zone and other strategic locations.
Similar security post was also erected at the popular Berger roundabout to forestall any breach.
…Business grounded
Activities grounded to a halt at a major building material plaza in the Jabi area of Abuja on Monday after police fired teargas at protesters and traders.
The plaza, located opposite Chida International Hotel, where construction materials, including electrical systems and interior decoration materials are sold is usually a beehive.
However, the plaza was shut down and all shops closed on Monday after the police fired teargas at the place multiple times, traders told Premium Times.
Traders say the chaos ensued after police fired teargas at the protesters as they tried to take cover at the plaza.
The first tear gas was fired around 9:35 a.m., one of the traders, Goodnews Udoumorne, told Premium Times.
Another trader identified simply as Sulifa said the police fired the lethal substance on three separate occasions forcing them out of their shops.
Udoumorne, who sells electrical materials, explained that the protesters had marched from Jabi Garage Area towards the Chida Hotel Street with police vans behind them.
“I was even thinking the police were protecting the protest,” he said.
All of a sudden, the police began firing teargas and some of the protesters dispersed into the plazas to seek shelter. But the police fired more teargas in the plaza, forcing business owners and customers to scamper for safety.
They noted that after dispersing the protesters, the police came back two more times, firing teargas indiscriminately.
This prompted the taskforce and management to close down the plaza.
….One arrested in Lagos
From Lagos, Blueprint.ng reports that leader of the protesters, Declan Ihekiare, was arrested as he staged a lone protest to demand for the IPOB leader’s release.
The security operatives fired teargas at those around him, including journalists covering the protest, while others scampered for safety. Ihekiare was led away by the police.
Tension engulfed the Iyana Ipaja roundabout area near the NYSC Camp in Orile Agege LCDA as the peaceful protest turned violent following the firing of tear gas.
The security operatives fired teargas into the crowd of street traders and protesters, causing chaos in the busy commercial hub.
Amid the confusion, Comrade Ihekiare, the convener of the protest, was arrested by the police.
Prior to his arrest, Comrade Declan had addressed the gathering, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to heed the voice of reason and release Kanu.
“Releasing Nnamdi Kanu will not only be a sign of justice but a step toward healing and uniting the country. If we truly believe no one is above the law, then the decision of the Supreme Court should be respected. Nigeria must act in the interest of peace and democracy,” he said.
The activist emphasised that in a democratic setting, decisions of the judiciary should be upheld, and political differences resolved through dialogue rather than repression.
Meanwhile, calm had returned to Iyana Ipaja as residents and traders were seen going about their normal activities.
The protest which started at No 198 Ipaja road Olufunmilayo bus stop Orile Agege Lagos, was followed through march past to Iyana Ipaja where they ran into the waiting security operatives.
Like Abuja, a court order restrained the protesters from embarking on the protest.
Ihekiare was on Sunday summoned by the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, to his office, after which the activist insisted he would go ahead with the protest.
…….Businesses shut down in Ondo
In Akure, the Ondo state capital, there were low commercial and economic activities in major locations as Igbo traders signaled solidarity with the protest calling for Kanu’s release.
Shops, particularly those belonging to Igbo people, were largely shut at major commercial centres in the city, including Oyemekun Road, Oba Adesida Road, Arakale Road, NEPA, Old Garage, and Carl Street.
One of them said: “We closed our shops to show solidarity with our own who has suffered so much. We hope this effort will draw the federal government’s attention to the plight of Nnamdi Kanu and release urgently.”
But, while his shop shut, he expressed readiness to covertly sell to any interested buyer.
Many automobile shops and supermarkets owned by the Igbo people were shut, a development that affected business activities of other traders in the area such as food sellers and other service providers.
A sizeable number of security operatives were seen on patrol within the state capital on Monday.
Some of the operatives were positioned in strategic places to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order. (With additional reports from Premium Times)
