The simmering agitation for the release of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, took a dramatic turn on Tuesday as his younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and his counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, were ordered remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre alongside eleven other pro-Biafra supporters.
The Kuje Magistrate Court issued the remand order following their arrest during a protest in Abuja on Monday, October 20, 2025, tagged #FreeNnamdiKanuNow.
The demonstration, which began as a peaceful rally, quickly drew a heavy security presence after protesters reportedly blocked sections of major roads within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), causing gridlock and disrupting commercial and official activities.
According to police sources, the protest contravened an existing court order banning public demonstrations around key government installations such as the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.
The restriction order, issued by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court on October 17, followed an ex-parte motion filed by police counsel Wisdom Madaki on behalf of the Federal Government.
The order specifically prohibited activist Omoyele Sowore and others from organising rallies near sensitive security zones pending the hearing of a substantive motion.
Defying the directive, hundreds of protesters converged on central Abuja, chanting solidarity songs and demanding Kanu’s “unconditional release.”
Security operatives swiftly moved in to disperse the crowd using teargas and warning shots, arresting several participants, including Prince Emmanuel and Ejimakor.
Police later arraigned the 13 accused persons on charges bordering on breach of public peace and unlawful assembly, after which the court ordered their remand in Kuje Prison pending further hearing.
The development has sparked outrage among pro-Biafra groups, civil rights advocates, and human rights lawyers, who condemned what they described as “state intimidation and judicial repression” of peaceful protesters.
Kanu, the embattled IPOB leader, has been in federal custody since June 2021, following his controversial extradition from Kenya.
His prolonged detention despite several court rulings granting bail continues to stir tensions in the South-East and within diaspora movements.
