Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has vowed to march to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command if Aloy Ejimakor, the lawyer representing detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, is not immediately released.
Ejimakor was reportedly arrested alongside Fineboy Kanu, a relative of the IPOB leader, and several others during the #FreeNnamdiKanuProtest held on Monday in Abuja.
Condemning the arrest on his verified X account, Sowore described the action as unlawful and warned that he would mobilize protesters to occupy the FCT Police headquarters if the detainees were not freed.
“The FCT Police must release Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, Fineboy Kanu, and others who were illegally arrested, tortured, and are being detained over the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest.
If they’re not released immediately, we’ll mobilize everyone on the streets to occupy the FCT Command,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, called on Nigeria’s legal regulatory bodies to sanction Ejimakor for participating in the protest, saying it violates professional ethics.
Onanuga argued that the lawyer’s involvement in the demonstration undermines the sub judice principle, as Kanu’s treason case is still pending before the court.
“I saw Aloy Ejimakor, one of Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyers, among the small group of protesters mobilized by Sowore in Abuja.
I wonder what he was thinking—he should know better than to join such a protest while his client’s case is still before a competent court,” Onanuga stated.