Human rights activist and convener of the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the police for allegedly attacking peaceful demonstrators during Monday’s rally in Abuja demanding the release of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Speaking on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television monitored by DAILY POST, Sowore said the protesters were targeted because they maintained a peaceful stance, arguing that the police would have acted differently if the demonstrators had been violent.
“The protest was not just on social media; it took place physically across Abuja,” Sowore said. “We had six major convergence points with thousands of people — at Utako, Gudu, and Apo, which had the largest crowd.
We later moved to the FCT Police Command, where we were tear-gassed ruthlessly.”
He condemned the police action, saying, “They attacked us because we were peaceful protesters. If we were bandits, they would not come near us.”
Sowore added that the movement remains committed to non-violence but warned that future generations might not tolerate continued repression.
“Fortunately, we have chosen a no-violence approach to resolving issues, but a generation will come that will not accept this nonsense,” he stated.
The protest, organised across multiple locations in the Federal Capital Territory, was one of several calls for the release of Kanu, who has been in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021.