Human rights activist and #RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore, and Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, have regained their freedom after spending four days in Kuje Prison, Abuja.
Sowore announced his release on Monday via X, writing, “Happening now: Leaving Kuje Prison in Abuja after being detained there illegally for four days. #FreeNnamdiKanuNow.”
Both men were arrested last week during a protest calling for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and were subsequently arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Kuje.
On Friday, Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id granted bail to Sowore, Ejimakor, Nnamdi Kanu’s brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and ten other protesters. They were charged with unlawful assembly and disturbing public peace.
Each defendant was granted ₦500,000 bail with two sureties residing in the Federal Capital Territory, valid identification, three-year tax clearance, and the submission of international passports.
Following his release, Ejimakor described the experience as “traumatic and inhumane,” condemning what he called excessive police brutality during and after the protest.
“The experience was traumatic. People were shoved, beaten, and tear-gassed. Two canisters hit me directly. If not for strong lungs, some of us would have died on the spot. That level of brutality has no place in a civilised society,” he said.
He accused the police of using unnecessary force, adding that officers continued to deploy tear gas even after the protesters had been subdued. “At the CID headquarters in Garki, they still used tear gas to push us into vehicles. It was unlawful and amounted to executive recklessness,” Ejimakor stated.
He further clarified that the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest was directed at the presidency and not the judiciary, explaining that the demonstrators sought the Federal Government’s intervention in Kanu’s ongoing trial.
“If the Presidency or Attorney General withdraws the case, the court will have nothing to try. Our call was
