Nigerians in their hundreds responded to the call by human rights activist and politician Mr. Omoyele Sowore to join the #FreeNnamdiKanu protests in Abuja on Monday.
Nnamdi Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, who has been in police custody for over four years and currently facing treason charges in various Nigerian courts.
Mr. Sowore had in his invitation to Nigerians to join the planned protests called on the Nigerian Police to provide security to the protesters to ensure that hoodlums would not hijack the protests.
However, the Police listed the Presidential Villa, the National Assembly and the Federal Secretariat among others during the protests.
But media reports on Monday said that the protesters were being dispersed with teargas and gunshots in Abuja.
Reacting to the protesters battle with the Police, the convener of the protests, Sowere told Channels Television in Abuja that the Police used teargas and gunshots to disperse the protesters and that they would regroup and continue with the protests for the release of Nnamdi Kanu,
Sowere also said that Kanu’s junior brother and Kanu’s lawyer some of the protesters were arrested, beaten and taken away in a Police van.
It will be recalled that a Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier issued an interim order restraining the organisers of the protests from protesting near the Presidential Villa, the National Assembly, and other key government institutions.
Although the Nigerian Constitutions provides for the rights of citizens to engage in lawful protests, but its enforcement by the government and the Police has remained questionable as protesters over the years have been teargased, arrested and often jailed and killed for engaging in protests.
