JUST IN: Ohanaeze Youths Extend #FreeNnamdiKanu Protest to October 25, Launch ‘Operation Occupy Abuja’

The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), the global umbrella body for Igbo youths, has announced an extension of the ongoing #FreeNnamdiKanu protest to Saturday, October 25, 2025. The extension, themed “Operation Occupy Abuja,” follows a nationwide demonstration on October 20 that the group claims was met with violence and rights violations by Nigerian security forces.

In a statement signed by National President Igboayaka Igboayaka and Secretary-General Ifeanyichukwu Nweke, the OYC described the protest—led by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore—as a defining moment between what it called “political oppressors led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian people.” The group accused the Nigeria Police Force, the military, the Department of State Services (DSS), and other agencies of brutality during the protests, including the alleged use of tear gas, live ammunition, and physical assault against peaceful demonstrators.

According to the statement, several individuals were unlawfully arrested, including Prince Emmanuel Kanu, brother of detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu; his lawyer, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor; and legal activist Barrister Mandela Umez. The group demanded their immediate release within 24 hours, warning that continued suppression of civil liberties could heighten national tension.

OYC said the protest extension was a direct response to what it described as the government’s persistent disregard for human rights. It argued that “the long-standing docility of Nigerians” had allowed a minority of political elites to dominate the majority and insisted that this situation must end.

The group urged President Tinubu to order the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, calling his prolonged detention “an injustice that reflects the wider failures of Nigeria’s justice system.” It warned that any further violence against demonstrators could destabilize the country, urging the president to instruct security chiefs to protect protesters’ rights.

OYC also called on the federal government to seize the moment to address deeper national problems, including insecurity, hunger, and multiple taxation, while fostering reconciliation and national unity. The group maintained that the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu symbolized the broader injustices affecting Nigerians and insisted that his release was essential for restoring public trust and peace.

“The shooting of armless and innocent protesters by the Nigeria Police Force,” the group said, “is a deliberate provocation that has turned this protest into a decisive confrontation between political oppressors and the Nigerian people.”