A magistrate’s court in Kuje, Abuja, has ordered the remand of Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, his younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and 10 others at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The group was detained following a protest calling for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
The protest, tagged #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, was reportedly led by human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, who has continued to advocate for Kanu’s freedom.
Security operatives dispersed the demonstrators and arrested several participants during the Monday demonstration in Abuja.
The defendants were charged with inciting disturbance and public disorder, offences the prosecution said were linked to their role in organizing the protest. The magistrate ordered that they be remanded until Friday, October 24, pending further hearing.
Kanu’s brother, Kanuta Kanu, described the decision as part of a wider plot to frustrate his sibling’s ongoing terrorism trial.
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“The magistrate sitting in Kuje remanded Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel in Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case, and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, his youngest brother. This is a conspiracy from the executive, legislature, and judiciary to frustrate Kanu’s trial on Thursday,” he wrote on social media.
Reacting to the development, Omoyele Sowore accused the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, of orchestrating the detention.
He alleged that the police deliberately took the case to the Kuje court to ensure the protesters’ imprisonment. “They sent Kanu’s brother and lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, all the way to Kuje Magistrate Court to get them remanded in prison at all costs,” he wrote.
Confirming his detention in a separate post, Ejimakor stated, “I am safe and sound but still under custody at Kuje Prison. The magistrate refused to listen to our submissions and insisted on remanding us till Friday. Keep in mind that they bypassed several magistrate courts in town and headed to this one in Kuje.”
The #FreeNnamdiKanuNow movement has recently intensified, with activists renewing calls for the government to obey court orders regarding the IPOB leader’s case. Kanu has been in detention since his re-arrest in 2021, facing charges of terrorism and treasonable felony.
NewsExpress
