- Court rejects police bid to stop Free Nnamdi Kanu protest.
- Sowore vows demonstration will proceed peacefully on Monday.
- Hearing adjourned till Tuesday for further proceedings.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected the Nigeria Police Force’s application seeking to stop the planned #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest scheduled for Monday, October 20, 2025.
EDITOR’S PICKS
- Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Layoffs During Shutdown
- What Another Drop in Monthly Inflation Rate Signals for Nigerians
- ‘PDP Defections to APC Prove I Was Right About Tinubu’ – Wike
EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had filed an ex parte motion through police lawyers against activist and protest organiser, Omoyele Sowore, aiming to halt the demonstration planned near the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
Justice Umar, however, refused to grant the police request, ruling that the motion could not be decided without hearing from the respondent. The court instead directed the police to properly serve Sowore with the application and adjourned the matter to Tuesday for a full hearing.
Reacting to the decision, Sowore hailed the ruling as a triumph for civil liberties and vowed that the peaceful protest would go ahead as scheduled.
He stated on his X handle, “The IGP sent lawyers to court to stop the FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest, but Justice Umar declined their ex parte motion and adjourned the case until Tuesday for a proper hearing.”
The protest, organised under the hashtag #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, seeks the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who has been in detention since June 2021.
The police’s legal move was viewed as a last-minute attempt to use the courts to prevent a politically sensitive demonstration near the Presidential Villa.
The court’s refusal means there is no legal restraint stopping the protest from holding on Monday, potentially setting up a tense face-off between demonstrators and security agencies in Abuja.
The final hearing scheduled for Tuesday will determine the next legal steps in the case.
FURTHER READING
- Kano Court Remands Orphanage Owner Over Abduction of 600 Children
- Information Minister Hails Borno as Nigeria’s Most Resilient State
- Businessman Sends SOS to Police Over Abduction of 16-Year-Old Son in Iba
