By Cajetan Mmuta, Ben Adoga, Anthony Otaru, and David Eze
A wave of nationwide protests demanding the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on Monday plunged major Nigerian cities into tension and disruption, triggering violent confrontations with security agencies, widespread lockdowns, and a renewed debate over civil rights and state repression.
The demonstrations, tagged #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, began in Abuja but quickly spread to Lagos, Port Harcourt, Aba, and parts of the South-East and Delta regions.
In many cities, police and soldiers used tear gas, gunfire, and road barricades to disperse crowds, leaving commuters stranded and businesses shuttered amid palpable fear of escalation.
Human-rights activist Omoyele Sowore led the Abuja march, defying a subsisting court order and police warnings.
Protesters chanted “Free Nnamdi Kanu now!” and “It’s our constitutional right to protest!” as they advanced through the streets near the Transcorp Hilton, before being confronted by heavily armed operatives.
Eyewitnesses said the protest was peaceful until a combined team of police, army, and civil defence personnel fired tear gas and live rounds into the air to disperse the crowd.
“We told them we were not their enemies,” Sowore recounted, “but suddenly, they began shooting tear gas and even live bullets. Luckily, no one was hit, but several people were arrested, including Kanu’s younger brother and his lawyer.”
*Abuja, Lagos, Aba, other S’ East states affected
The Federal Capital Territory was effectively under siege as all access roads to Eagle Square, the Federal Secretariat, and the Three Arms Zone were barricaded.
Security vehicles occupied major intersections, while commuters and civil servants were forced to trek long distances to their destinations.
From the Unity Fountain, the original protest ground, to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Utako, clouds of tear gas engulfed the air.
One of our correspondents observed that soldiers and police officers fired into the air to disperse onlookers near the NUJ premises, sparking panic.
In several city districts, particularly around the Keffi-Abuja expressway, motorists were trapped for hours as the military blocked access from Kugbo to Mararaba in Nasarawa State, causing a traffic gridlock that stretched over ten kilometres.
“We’re not part of the protest,” said Mr Gabriel, a stranded commuter. “I only came to work, but I can’t reach my office. They should manage security better so they don’t disrupt ordinary citizens.”
The protests resonated beyond the capital.
In Lagos, tension flared in Ojota and along Ikorodu Road, where pro-Kanu demonstrators barricaded lanes and sang solidarity songs before police dispersed them with tear gas.
It was reported that at least six protesters were arrested as riot officers restored order.
Security was also tightened around major junctions in Ikeja, Surulere, and CMS.
The police warned that “no protest would be allowed to threaten the peace of the state.”
In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, protesters stormed the Mile One and Garrison areas, displaying banners demanding Kanu’s freedom.
The police fired multiple rounds of tear gas to break up the demonstration. Residents fled as smoke filled the streets, and shops hurriedly closed.
It was reported that roads were blocked for several hours, paralysing business activity in the city centre.
In Delta State, authorities heightened patrols in Asaba and Ogwashi-Uku, warning against attempts to hijack the protest.
It was learnt that security agencies were placed on nationwide alert as intelligence indicated plans by sympathisers to extend demonstrations to other South-South cities.
In the South-East, the protests merged with the region’s long-standing Monday sit-at-home tradition.
From Awka to Owerri, Umuahia, and Onitsha, public life was paralysed as offices, schools, banks, and markets remained shut.
Roads were deserted, and residents stayed indoors, either in solidarity or out of fear of possible violence.
Similar scenes unfolded in Aba, Abia State, where the usually bustling Ariaria International Market and other major commercial hubs were deserted.
Protesters clashed briefly with police units near the Osisioma axis before security reinforcements restored calm.
In Anambra, the popular Eke Awka Market and major business hubs at Aroma, Agu-Awka, and Amawbia were closed. Only a handful of tricycles plied the streets as police patrol vehicles moved around to deter unrest.
In Imo State, the situation was similar.
From Mgbidi in Oru West to Awo-Omamma in Oru East, communities remained under self-imposed lockdown.
Residents said they preferred to stay home to avoid any clash between IPOB sympathisers and security forces.
In Ebonyi, however, the situation remained largely calm.
The Commander of the state’s Neighbourhood Watch, Prince Victor Chibuoyi, told journalists that “there was no protest here, and we’re on the streets to ensure peace.” Still, many banks and supermarkets remained closed “as a precautionary measure,” he added.
Adding to the day’s tension, a counter-protest emerged in Abuja’s Central Area near Labour House, where groups under the banner Defenders of National Unity staged demonstrations in support of the judicial process.
They carried placards reading “No Pressure on the Rule of Law” and “Justice Must Take Its Course.”
The counter-rally, reportedly conveyed in coaster buses, was short-lived but underscored the growing divide over Kanu’s case — between those who see him as a political prisoner and those who regard him as a national security threat.
Kanu, leader of the proscribed IPOB, has been in detention since June 2021 after his controversial rendition from Kenya.
He faces terrorism-related charges before a Federal High Court in Abuja, which recently dismissed his no-case submission, ruling that he must stand trial.
His supporters insist his continued detention defies court rulings and violates his right to a fair hearing.
Sowore said the government’s stance amounts to “a deliberate attempt to obstruct justice,” urging authorities to “present their evidence in court instead of silencing voices through violence.”
*Claims, counterclaims over alleged beating, teargas of protesters by security agencies
The protests also reignited debate about state repression and the shrinking civic space in Nigeria. The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, condemned in strong terms the assault and unlawful arrest of Mr John Okunyomih, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist, by security operatives during the Abuja protest.
NUJ Secretary Comrade Jide Oyekunle said Okunyomih was “manhandled by armed soldiers and policemen while covering the protest near Unity Fountain,” and his professional camera was destroyed.
The union demanded that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, identify and sanction the officers involved and replace the damaged equipment.
“The harassment of journalists performing their legitimate duty is unacceptable,” the NUJ statement read. “Security agents must remember that journalists are not enemies of the state but partners in nation-building.”
Several civil-rights organisations, including Amnesty International and SERAP, also condemned the “brutal crackdown” on peaceful protesters, warning that Nigeria risked “sliding back into authoritarian patterns of governance.”
Meanwhile, the police, however, defended their actions, citing a court order that restricted demonstrations within the Aso Rock Villa, National Assembly, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way corridors.
Spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, said officers acted “within the confines of the law” to prevent a breach of peace.
“The FCT is a security-sensitive environment. We will not allow any individual or group to destabilise public order under the guise of protest,” she said.
The police confirmed the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, and his brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, over the ongoing #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.
Security analysts, however, argue that the crackdown may worsen public mistrust of state institutions.
“The optics of shooting tear gas at peaceful demonstrators sends the wrong message,” said political analyst Dr Dan Okoli. “It portrays the government as insecure and intolerant of dissent.”
