Umuahia Shuts Down as Residents Join #FreeNnamdiKanu Protest

Umuahia Shuts Down as Residents Join #FreeNnamdiKanu Protest
Shops, banks, schools, and markets were shut across the capital.
Security patrols monitored the city as protests spread nationwide.

Economic and social activities in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, were completely paralysed on Monday as residents observed a total shutdown in solidarity with the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest led by human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the usually lively city turned into a ghost town, with empty streets and locked-up shops. Only a few vehicles and tricycles were seen moving around as businesses, markets, banks, and filling stations closed their doors in apparent support of the agitation for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Reports revealed that both public and private schools failed to open for academic activities. Over the weekend, some schools had sent messages to parents advising them to keep their children at home due to the planned protest.

At the Isigate market and other major trading areas, stalls and shops remained firmly shut. Popular junctions such as Post Office, Abia Tower, FMC/Bank Road, and Uwakala Road were also deserted. A convoy of joint security patrol vans was spotted along Uwakala Road, monitoring the situation to prevent any breakdown of law and order.

Nnamdi Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021, following his arrest and controversial extradition from Kenya. His continued detention has drawn widespread criticism and renewed calls for his release, with rights groups accusing the Federal Government of breaching his constitutional rights.