Nnamdi Kanu: Brasília Grounded as Security Forces Tear‑Gas Protesters!

Reported by David Joshua | Sele Media Africa | www.selemedia.org

The Federal Capital Territory of Abuja was effectively brought to a standstill on Monday, October 20, 2025, as heavy security deployments, barricades, and teargas dispersals disrupted economic activity in response to the

FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest organised by activist Omoyele Sowore. [1]

Key developments:

• By first light, access routes into the city centre were sealed by police and military operatives, causing severe gridlock for commuters, especially in the Nyanya‑Mararaba, Dutse‑Bwari, and Kubwa corridors. [1]
• The protest, demanding the release of Kanu who has been held in detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021, saw demonstrators converge around Unity Fountain and key locations near the Presidential Villa. [2]
• Security agents responded with teargas, water cannons, and armed vehicles when protesters attempted to move toward the restricted Three Arms Zone, National Assembly and presidential precincts. [3]
• Among those reported arrested were Kanu’s brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, his lawyer Aloy Ejimakor, and a journalist covering the protest whose equipment was damaged in the process. [2]
• The Nigeria Union of Journalists (FCT Council) condemned the arrest and treatment of journalists at the scene as “a gross violation of press freedom”. [1]

Security justification and human‑rights concerns:

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) defended its actions, citing a court order that prohibits gatherings close to the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, and key federal buildings. Spokesperson CSP Benjamin Hundeyin stated the operation was to clear blocked roads and maintain order. [4]
Conversely, Amnesty International Nigeria described the crackdown as an unacceptable suppression of the constitutional right to peaceful assembly. [3]

As normality gradually returns to many business districts, the fallout from the protest and the citywide clamp‑down underscores rising tensions around separatist demands and government responses in Nigeria’s Southeast.

Citations:

1. Vanguard News: www.vanguardngr.com/2025/10/nnamdi-kanu-abuja-grounded-as-security-men-teargas-protesters?utm_source=chatgpt.com
2. Independent Newspaper Nigeria: independent.ng/protesters-defy-security-warnings-ground-abuja/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
3. Vanguard News: www.vanguardngr.com/2025/10/why-we-used-tear-gas-to-disperse-free-nnamdi-kanu-protesters-police-headquarters?utm_source=chatgpt.com
4. The Whistler Newspaper: thewhistler.ng/police-defend-use-of-teargas-on-abuja-protesters/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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