Activist Sowore Vows to Defy, Challenge Court Order Banning #FreeNnamdiKanu Protest at Aso Rock, Abuja Key Spots

Human rights activist and convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore, has vowed to challenge and proceed with the planned #FreeNnamdiKanu protest on Monday, October 20, despite an interim injunction issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The order, granted ex parte by Justice M. G. Umar on Friday, October 17, specifically restrains Sowore, the Take It Back Movement, and other associated groups from protesting in key government and public areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The prohibited zones include the Aso Rock Villa, the National Assembly Complex, the Force Headquarters, the Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way. The injunction followed an application filed by the Federal Government through the Nigeria Police Force, which argued that the planned demonstration could breach public peace.

Reacting to the court’s ruling, Sowore took to social media to state his commitment to challenging the injunction, insisting that the scheduled Monday protest demanding the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, will hold. He also expressed suspicions over the timing and manner of the ruling, alleging that the order was granted in chambers after the judge had earlier declined the request in open court.

The court has abridged the time for the respondents to file a motion to set aside the order, scheduling the hearing for Monday, October 20, the same day the protest is intended to hold. The development sets the stage for a potential confrontation between the protesters and security agencies, as the US Embassy in Abuja has also issued a security alert to its citizens, warning of possible traffic congestion and confrontations around the protest zones.

Nnamdi Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his extraordinary rendition to Nigeria in June 2021, facing a trial on charges of terrorism and treasonable felony.