Nnamdi Kanu’s Lawyer, Younger Brother, Remain In Detention
Abuja, Nigeria
Aloy Ejimakor, lead counsel for detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu, and his younger brother Prince Emmanuel Kanu remain remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre, three days after their arrest during a peaceful #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja, amid mounting accusations of judicial sabotage and human rights abuses by the Nigerian government.
The duo, along with 11 other protesters, were arraigned on October 21 before a Kuje Magistrate Court on charges of criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, and breaching public peace—offenses critics dismiss as specious and politically motivated. A bail hearing scheduled for October 22 stalled when police prosecutors failed to appear or file counter-affidavits, forcing an adjournment to October 24. Ejimakor confirmed his detention from prison via social media on October 21, while Kanu’s family alleges the arrests aim to psychologically break him ahead of his defense opening today at the Federal High Court.
The detentions have ignited fierce backlash, with Amnesty International labeling them a chilling escalation in President Bola Tinubu’s relentless efforts to undermine freedom of assembly and shrink civic space. Activist Omoyele Sowore decried a conspiracy from the executive, legislature, and judiciary to frustrate Kanu’s trial, accusing Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun of orchestrating the remand. Kanu’s brother Kanunta Kanu called it cruel and vindictive collective punishment, violating the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Defence Consortium demanded immediate release, slamming the arrests as an unlawful assault on legal representation and a ploy to isolate Kanu, whose prolonged DSS custody defies multiple court orders for his unconditional freedom. As global watchdogs urge probes, the case underscores Nigeria’s eroding democratic credentials, with calls growing for international intervention to halt what one rights group termed tyranny against peaceful dissent.
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