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Police Defend Teargas Use On #FreeNnamdiKanu Protesters
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Hundeyin denies blocking roads, says police only cleared traffic
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Sowore, Ejimakor accuse police of excessive use of force
The Nigeria Police Force has defended its use of teargas to disperse #FreeNnamdiKanu protesters in Abuja on Monday, saying the demonstrators violated a court order that barred protests in certain areas of the Federal Capital Territory.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on X, stressed that the police acted within the law and only intervened to restore order after the protesters blocked major roads in the city.
Hundeyin denied claims that officers obstructed movement, saying police merely cleared the road to ensure other Nigerians could move freely.
He wrote, “Police teargas protesters attempting to approach Aso Villa in clear contravention of a court order restricting protesters from the Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way. We are the country’s foremost law enforcement agency. We carried out our constitutional mandate. And we did not block the road but cleared it after it was blocked by the protesters to enable other Nigerians easy passage to their destinations.”
The police spokesman reaffirmed that the restriction order remains valid and that any violation would be treated as contempt of court.
Meanwhile, Nnamdi Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, accused police officers of using teargas to disperse peaceful demonstrators who gathered near the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, saying the gas left him with eye and throat irritation.
Omoyele Sowore, convener of the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest, also alleged that police fired unprovoked gunshots at protesters during the demonstration.
The protesters had converged to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services since June 2021.
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