Protests demanding the release of separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu turned chaotic in Nigeria’s capital on Monday as police clashed with demonstrators, using tear gas and arresting dozens, including a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP), who was later released.
According to witnesses and journalists on the ground, gunfire rang out through parts of Abuja as security forces confronted protesters calling for Kanu’s freedom. The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Kanu has become a central figure in southeastern Nigeria’s push for independence, a movement rooted in claims of political and economic marginalization of the Igbo ethnic group.
Demonstrators gathered at various locations across the city, chanting for Kanu’s release. Police responded by deploying water cannons, electric barricades, and heavy tear gas along key routes and intersections, causing gridlock and leaving commuters stranded, AP reported.
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Kanu, who also holds British citizenship, was first arrested in 2015 on terrorism and treason charges. Though intermittently released, he has remained in custody as a Nigerian court recently ruled he must stand trial after dismissing his motion for release.
Aloy Ejimakor, one of Kanu’s lawyers, said on X that he was among those arrested during the demonstrations. AFP confirmed that its reporter in Abuja, detained amid the unrest, was freed shortly afterward, though his equipment was damaged. “There were no protesters at the scene where he was arrested,” AFP stated.
Kanu’s prolonged detention continues to ignite tension in Nigeria’s southeast, where his supporters view him as a symbol of their struggle for autonomy, while authorities regard IPOB as a security threat.
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