Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, is bracing for possible clashes today (Monday, October 20, 2025) as organisers of the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest insist on marching to the Presidential Villa despite a court order barring them from doing so. The march aims to pressure the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar, issued an interim injunction stopping the organisers from protesting near sensitive government areas such as the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way. The order followed an ex parte motion filed by the Nigeria Police Force on behalf of the Federal Government and will remain in effect pending the hearing of the main suit today.
Despite this, the organisers have vowed to proceed with what they describe as a peaceful, constitutional demonstration across Abuja and the South-East.
Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, confirmed the protest will go on as planned.
“Nothing shall discourage us! Marching peacefully anywhere in the country is our constitutionally guaranteed right. Nothing can derogate it,” Adenola said. “There is no going back on our resolve to fight this inhumane and illegal act aimed at eroding our rights and capturing our justice system.”
Adenola accused the police of often being the cause of unrest during protests.
“The truth is that protesters are always coordinated in this country; it is the police who usually disrupt this peace,” he said, adding that officers should focus on maintaining order, not provoking demonstrators.
Legal counsel for the organisers, Maxwell Opara, said they had not been officially served the court order. He insisted that the Presidential Villa is a symbolic location where citizens have a right to express grievances.
“We have notified them, and they will come and provide security — that’s what they are expected to do,” Opara stated. “We don’t want miscreants to take advantage of the protest. I learnt they went to court, but we have not seen the order.”
The protest is being championed by human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who revealed that over 115 lawyers, medical personnel, and journalists are mobilised to support demonstrators nationwide.
“Mobilisation is very strong — it cuts across marketplaces, religious centres, and high-profile meetings, including one with former President Goodluck Jonathan,” Sowore said.
The demonstration, calling for Kanu’s immediate and unconditional release, has gained support from opposition leaders such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, both urging the government to pursue dialogue rather than detention.
Obi said, “There was no need for Kanu’s arrest in the first place. Negotiation remains the only sustainable path to resolving separatist agitations. I will consult, negotiate, and discuss with anybody who is agitating. I said it clearly and I remain there.”
The Labour Party, NNPP, and Obidient Movement Worldwide have all expressed support, describing the protest as a legitimate democratic action.
Tony Akeni, Labour Party’s interim spokesperson, criticised the government’s “double standards” for prosecuting Kanu while negotiating with armed groups.
“The government has lost sympathy by prosecuting Kanu while engaging bandits who have committed far worse atrocities,” Akeni said.
Within Kanu’s legal team, opinions are divided. Senior lawyer Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) said his focus remains on court proceedings, while Aloy Ejimakor declared his full participation, stating, “I endorsed the protest fully because it is the civic and constitutional right of Nigerians to protest. I am Nigerian; I will be joining the protest.”
Security agencies have heightened alert levels across Abuja.
Olusola Odumosu, Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the FCT, warned protesters against vandalism or violence.
“The corps will not condone any form of destruction, vandalism, or theft of public and private facilities in the name of protest,” he said, confirming the deployment of officers across major routes and flashpoints.
Similarly, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has declared all correctional facilities nationwide as “Red Zones.”
NCoS spokesperson Umar Abubakar cautioned that these centres are restricted areas.
“The public is hereby informed that all correctional centres are declared red zones. Anyone who has no official business should stay off to avoid any untoward incidents or security breaches,” he stated.
The protest coincides with the fifth anniversary of the #EndSARS demonstrations that led to the controversial Lekki Toll Gate shooting, raising fears of renewed nationwide unrest.
