Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) emptied teargas canisters on commuters at the Central Business District of the nation’s capital city on Monday morning.
The move comes as some activists begin to converge on certain locations in Abuja for the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest.
The protest is the brainchild of Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and ex-presidential candidate.
Some of the commuters were waiting for vehicles to take them to workplaces when they were teargassed.
Security operatives have also blocked major roads in the capital, resulting in gridlock and bedlam.
In a post on social media platform X, Sowore said some arrests have been made.
“The @PoliceNG team deployed to brutalize #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protesters arrested Nnamdi Kanu’s brother, and his lawyer, @AloyEjimakor, as well as innocent bystanders. They were beaten and taken to the FCT command. The police must release them immediately!,” he wrote.
Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in June 2021. He has been on trial at the federal high court in Abuja.
Sowore has been mounting a campaign for his release since the turn of the year.
The police and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) had declared certain areas as “no protest zones” ahead of the march.
On Saturday, the police urged groups planning demonstrations against Kanu’s detention to respect a court order restricting protests around key government areas.
Benjamin Hundeyin, force spokesperson, said an order of the federal high court in Abuja restrained the groups from staging protests within and around Aso Rock, the national assembly complex, force headquarters, the court of appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.
Hundeyin urged all groups — for or against the protest — to adhere strictly to the court’s order.
