Ohanaeze Blows Hot Over Sowore-Led Abuja Protest; Arrests of Nnamdi Kanu’s Brother, Lawyer
- Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has berated men of the Nigerian police for the way they handled pro-Nnamdi Kanu protesters
- A group of Nigerians led by an activist, Sowore, stormed Aso Villa in Abuja to protest against the continued incarceration of the IPOB leader
- But operatives of the Nigerian police and army dispersed them with teargas, and further arrested Nnamdi Kanu's younger brother and his lawyer
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has criticised the actions of security operatives, who disrupted peaceful demonstrations in Abuja calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Source: Getty Images
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization raised alarm over reports that police and other security agencies used tear gas to disperse protesters, describing the move as a violation of citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly.
A group of Nigerians led by an activist, Sowore, stormed Aso Villa in Abuja on Monday, October 20, to protest the continued incarceration of the IPOB leader.w
But reports indicated that security personnel, including police and the army, fired multiple tear gas canisters among the protesters to scatter them, causing major panic within the area.
But in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng on Tuesday, October 21, the immediate past Vice President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ichie Damian Okeke Ogene, condemned the security agencies’ conduct. He noted that any attempt to suppress peaceful protest is unlawful and represents an intolerant stance against free expression.
He said,
"First of all, we have to commend the protesters because they kept to what they promised - no violence, no weapons, only placards. But what happened to the protesters was expected because an average Nigerian security operative is aggressive toward the common man."
the
"What really happened was a collective disaffection of the Nigerian people about the poor handling of Nnamdi Kanu's case by the federal government. Nigerians, including Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, came together to speak with one voice. I think this is the right time for the federal government to act and do the needful. The pro-Nnamdi Kanu protest killed tribalism. It is Nnamdi Kanu today; tomorrow, it could be another Nigerian."
The Ohaneze chieftain commended Sowore for mobilizing such a crowd of peaceful protesters, and called on the federal government to act swiftly and release Nnamdi Kanu.
Ohanaeze condemns arrests, praises protesters’ restraint
On the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer and his younger brother, Ogene reasoned that the security operatives only wanted to provoke the protesters so that they would resort to violence, not knowing that the protesters were wiser.
"They wanted to provoke them, but the protesters ignored them. They wanted to create confusion that would bring violence, but the protesters carefully avoided them. Well, they can go on and hold Kanu's younger brother and his lawyer, if that is what they want. If they like, let them use the two men for their pepper soup. But by arresting the protesters and further arraigning them in court, they only wanted to fuel the crisis; unfortunately for them, Nigerians are no longer interested in violence."
"People must be allowed to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest. The FG should halt the intimidation, engage the protesters, and address their demands."
“The federal government must ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by both the country’s own constitution and human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party."
Source: Twitter
Ohanaeze dismisses Joe Igbokwe’s Facebook remarks
The Ohanaeze chieftain also berated an APC chieftain, Joe Igbokwe, for his anti-Nnamdi Kanu stance.
Igbokwe, a social media influencer, in a widely shared Facebook post, told the Igbo to return home and conduct burial ceremonies for hundreds of people he claimed lost their lives in connection with groups such as Indigenous People of Biafra, Eastern Security Network, unknown gunmen, among others; instead of agitating for Kanu's release.
But in his reaction, Ichie Ogene said,
"Joe Igbokwe is entitled to his personal opinion. Nobody should blame him, because he has to massage the ego of his paymasters. Joe Igbokwe has only one source of income, and that is the money from his paymasters. There is nothing he will talk about that will be different from what his paymasters would like to hear."
"Igbokwe is irrelevant in the southeast; he is irrelevant in his hometown. He is an ignorable quantity that should not be taken seriously."
"On Monday, October 20, 2025, all markets, schools, banks, and government establishments in the entire southeast were shut down. What else do they want to hear? The FG and its security agencies want people of the southeast to go into violence, but we don't want violence in Nigeria again."
"Successive administrations, including that of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, pardoned hardened criminals and bandits. Buhari's government granted amnesty to Boko Haram bandits that have killed hundreds of thousands of Nigerians, and integrated them into the Nigerian army, but refused to release Nnamdi Kanu, who has not even a stick in his hands - only agitating against ill treatment meted out against his people in the Nigerian state."
"We've been pleading: let there be peace. We've been following this matter diplomatically and religiously - within the ambit of the law, but they refused to understand. But no matter the provocation, no Igbo man will opt for violence because that is what they're looking for."
Lawyer and brother of Nnamdi Kanu jailed
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a magistrate court in Kuje, FCT, remanded 12 individuals, including Aloy Ejimakor (lawyer to Nnamdi Kanu) and his brother Prince Emmanuel Kanu, to prison following a protest in Abuja.
They face charges of inciting public disturbance and breaching the peace during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow demonstration on Monday, October 20.
Critics allege political interference in the judiciary, with claims that the remand aims to undermine Kanu’s trial. Ejimakor confirmed his detention and says the court bypassed other magistrates' courts to secure the ruling.
Source: Legit.ng
