Nnamdi Kanu: South-east residents shun businesses, desert roads as protest holds in Abia

A human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, spearheaded protests against the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu on Monday.

Residents of Abia State, Nigeria’s South-east, Monday, joined the protest against continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Spearheaded by a human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, the protest was held across parts of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Security operatives reportedly fired tear gas and gunshots at some protesters on Monday in Abuja.

In Abia State, several residents marched around major areas and roads in Umuahia, the state capital on Monday.

The protesters were seen in video clips chanting Mr Kanu’s names and demanding his release from detention.

In some of the clips, most of the protesters marched on foot while a few of them were in tricycles, motorcycles and bicycles.

A resident of Umuahia, Ben Emeka, told PREMIUM TIMES that the protest initially looked like it would not be held when police operatives led by the Commissioner of Police in Abia State, Danladi Isa, tried to convince members of Abia State Chapter of the Ohaneze Ndigbo worldwide to shelve the protest.

“The protest was organised by the Ohaneze people. They were preparing to start the protest at Okpara Square when the commissioner asked them to stop the protest because some hoodlums could take advantage of the exercise to commit crimes,” Mr Emeka said.

“Immediately, some youths of Afara-Ukwu came out en masse and started the protest,” he stated.

He added that security operatives later blocked the protesters from gaining access to the Abia State Government House.

“Many people came out for the protest,” he remarked.

Afara-Ukwu is Mr Kanu’s community.

Empty streets in Enugu, Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi

Unlike in Abia, there were empty streets in Enugu State on Monday. Businesses and schools were shut down, but protests were not held across the state as residents stayed indoors.

The situation was the same in Imo State. Kevin Ndiukwuegbula, a resident of Owerri, the state capital, told PREMIUM TIMES that residents only showed up in the evening.

“Markets did not open too. People only started coming out this evening because we are afraid of the sit-at-home order on Mondays,” Mr Ndiukwegbula said.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel, a resident of Onitsha in Anambra State, said residents neither protested nor opened their shops for business on Monday.

“We don’t normally open for business on Mondays because of the (IPOB) sit-at-home order. But we didn’t protest today,” Mr Emmanuel said.

Arinze Ajaezu, a shop owner at the Onitsha Main Market, corroborated Mr Emmanuel’s position.

“There was no protest today in my area. I am aware if a protest was held in Onitsha,” said Mr Ajaezu who resides at 3-3 Area, an outskirts of Onitsha.

It was the same situation in Ebonyi State. Solomon Alegu, a resident of Abakaliki, the state capital, said unlike before there were reduced human and vehicular movements in the capital city on Monday.

“Some markets were open but they were very scanty,” he said.

“Even vehicles were very few on the roads.”

Background

Mr Sowore, earlier this month, announced plans to lead the protest on 20 October to free Mr Kanu from detention.

With a hangtag, #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, Mr Sowore visited various areas in Abuja, asking residents to join the protest.

The human rights activist also called on politicians from the South-east, including Peter Obi, to join the protest.

Meanwhile, Mr Kanu, who is facing terrorism trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja, has been in detention since he was repatriated to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021 under controversial circumstances.

The IPOB leader was first arrested in 2015 under the administration of then-President President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Kanu leads IPOB, an outlawed group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.

He had been discharged and acquitted by the Court of Appeal in Abuja in 2022, but the Nigerian government blocked his release.

The government claimed that he (Kanu) could be unavailable in subsequent court proceedings if he was released and that his release would cause insecurity in the South-east, where he comes from.

They later appealed the court ruling and subsequently obtained an order staying the execution of the court judgement at the Supreme Court.

On 15 December 2023, the Supreme Court reversed the acquittal granted to Mr Kanu by the lower court and consequently ordered continuation of his trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

On 19 June 2025, the Nigerian government closed its case against the IPOB leader after the 5th prosecution witness was led in evidence and cross-examined by Mr Kanu’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

However, rather than opening his defence, Mr Kanu, through his lawyers, instead filed a no-case submission to seek the dismissal of the charges on the grounds that the evidence presented by the prosecution failed to establish any case against him to warrant him entering any defence.

Despite initial opposition by prosecuting lawyers, the court later accepted Mr Kanu’s application for the no-case submission.

But on 26 September, the court dismissed the no-case submission filed by Mr Kanu and ordered him to enter his defence.

Last week, a court-ordered medical panel declared the IPOB leader fit to continue facing his ongoing terrorism trial.