Tensions boiled over in Nigeria's capital on October 20, 2025, as authorities clashed with demonstrators calling for the freedom of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu.
Security teams unleashed tear gas on activist Omoyele Sowore, religious leaders, and a crowd of backers near the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
The group had assembled peacefully, singing unity chants, before armed officers intervened to break up the gathering.
Earlier that morning, police targeted the Maitama district with similar tactics, scattering everyday commuters and locals amid fears of larger unrest tied to the #ReleaseNnamdiKanuNow campaign.
Organised by Sowore alongside democracy advocates, the rally aimed to pressure officials at the Presidential Villa for Kanu's immediate liberation. Protesters highlighted ongoing legal battles surrounding his case.
According to reports, even before crowds fully formed, law enforcement fired canisters in key zones, sparking widespread alarm.
"It was total mayhem, folks heading to jobs or markets just bolted in fear," recounted an eyewitness to the disorder.
Troops from the army and DSS swiftly secured vital spots across the Federal Capital Territory, including Eagle Square and paths to Aso Rock, following police alerts against entering no-go areas.
Defying crackdowns, rally leaders pressed on, blasting President Bola Tinubu's administration for flouting judicial rulings.
"This regime is trampling on justice and our basic laws," charged a protest coordinator in a fiery declaration.
Legal expert Barrister Njoku Jude Njoku, part of Kanu's defence team, slammed the holdup. "Kanu's imprisonment spits on a 2022 appeals court victory that cleared him entirely, it's outright defiance," he asserted in a bold release.
Njoku further criticised the Supreme Court's reversal, calling it a breach of anti-double jeopardy rules.
"Retrying someone after acquittal? That's unconstitutional under Section 36(9), you can't drag a person through the same ordeal twice," he emphasised.
He also questioned charges based on an outdated 2013 Terrorism Act. "That legislation is obsolete and repealed, how can they prosecute under a ghost law?" Njoku demanded, urging swift compliance with court orders.
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