{"id":95529,"date":"2025-10-20T13:08:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T13:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=95529"},"modified":"2025-10-20T13:13:37","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T13:13:37","slug":"standstill-in-capital-city-gunfire-arrests-as-freennamdikanu-protest-rock-abuja","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=95529","title":{"rendered":"Standstill in capital city: Gunfire, arrests as #FreeNnamdiKanu protest rock Abuja"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Demonstrators holding a banner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some streets of Nigeria\u2019s capital boiled with tension on Monday, October 20, as a peaceful protest demanding the release of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, spiraled into chaos \u2014 with gunshots, teargas, and arrests turning Abuja\u2019s city centre into a no-go zone.<\/p>\n

In other parts of the Federal Capital City, like Wuye, Jabi, Utako, Guzape, and Kukwaba districts, there was relative calm as of 1.00 p.m as residents moved about cautiously. Others could not venture out to offices from satellite towns due to the presence of security operatives in the core of the central business district.<\/p>\n

Organised by fiery activist Omoyele Sowore and Kanu\u2019s counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow demonstration kicked off near the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) headquarters in Maitama but was swiftly met with brute force.<\/p>\n

What began as a peaceful march \u2014 with protesters waving placards and chanting \u201cFree Nnamdi Kanu Now!\u201d \u2014 descended into bedlam as security operatives opened fire into the air and launched teargas to scatter the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was shouting, then gunshots \u2014 everyone just ran,\u201d an eyewitness told reporters, requesting anonymity.<\/p>\n

Online videos captured the mayhem: demonstrators sprinting in panic as armed officers closed in. Some protesters were injured in the stampede. But the crackdown didn\u2019t stop the movement\u2019s leaders from pushing forward.<\/p>\n

In a twist, Ejimakor himself was arrested alongside other protest leaders. In a defiant post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just been arrested. Myself, Prince Emanuel and others. We are at FCT Command CID. No. 1 Zaria Street, Garki 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nigerian Police Force doubled down, citing a court order barring protests near sensitive zones \u2014 including the Aso Rock Villa, National Assembly, and Force Headquarters. The order, granted Friday by Justice M.G. Umar, stemmed from a police suit against Sowore and four others.<\/p>\n

Police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin issued a stark warning:<\/p>\n

\u201cProtesters must respect the law. Restricted areas are off-limits. Anyone inciting violence or breaching public order will be arrested and prosecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet Sowore, never one to back down, hit back hard. Calling the court order a \u201csham,\u201d he argued it was never legally served and was therefore unenforceable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no valid court order restricting this protest. Our right to peaceful assembly is non-negotiable,\u201d he said on X, promising legal firepower with a 115-strong legal team poised to challenge any court action.<\/p>\n

He accused the authorities of hypocrisy and double standards \u2014 pointing out that pro-government demonstrators had been allowed to march freely for three consecutive days without court interference.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, tension gripped the city like a vice.<\/p>\n

Entire districts around the Federal Secretariat, National Assembly, and Central Business District were deserted as security forces rolled out armoured vehicles, set up roadblocks, and unleashed tear gas on would-be protesters. Even court activities were frozen \u2014 with Federal High Court rooms eerily locked and judges nowhere to be found.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) declared all prisons nationwide \u201cRed Zones,\u201d warning that anyone approaching correctional facilities during or after the protest would be treated as a threat to national security.<\/p>\n

The clampdown underscores just how contentious Kanu\u2019s continued detention remains. Despite multiple court orders for his release, the IPOB leader has been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) since his dramatic 2021 extradition from Kenya. He faces charges of treason and terrorism.<\/p>\n

While the government insists his detention is a matter of national security, critics say the refusal to obey court rulings shatters the rule of law and deepens distrust in Nigeria\u2019s justice system.<\/p>\n

Now, with protests spreading and the capital on edge, many fear Monday\u2019s showdown may just be the beginning of a broader national reckoning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not just about Nnamdi Kanu,\u201d one protester shouted while fleeing tear gas. \u201cIt\u2019s about justice. It\u2019s about Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udccd Key Developments:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Gunfire & Teargas: Security forces fire shots, disperse protesters in Abuja.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Arrests: Kanu\u2019s lawyer Aloy Ejimakor and others detained.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Court Showdown: Sowore, others challenge \u201cillegal\u201d protest ban.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Security Lockdown: Abuja city centre deserted, courts shuttered.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Red Zones Declared: Correctional centres on lockdown amid fears of prison breaches.<\/p>\n

\u25a0 More to come as this developing story unfolds. Stay with us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some streets of Nigeria\u2019s capital boiled with tension on Monday, October 20, as a peaceful protest demanding the release of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, spiraled into chaos \u2014 with gunshots, teargas, and arrests turning Abuja\u2019s city centre into a no-go zone. In other parts of the Federal Capital City, like Wuye, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":66166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[913,181,7372],"class_list":["post-95529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-abuja","tag-protesters","tag-standstill"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/66166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}