#Free Nnamdi Kanu Protest: Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Federal Government of mocking the Nigerian Constitution by continuosly keeping the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in custody nearly three years after a valid court order discharged and acquitted him.
Speaking during a press conference on the eve of a planned peaceful protest at the Aso Rock Villa, Sowore described Kanu’s continued detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) as “an international embarrassment and a national disgrace,” insisting that the government was openly defying the rule of law.
“The truth they don’t want you to know,” Sowore said, “is that the Court of Appeal cleared Mr. Kanu in 2022 and discharged and acquitted him. Yet, the DSS never released him for even one second. That is pure contempt and a mockery of the very Constitution they swore to uphold.”
‘Supreme Court Twisted Justice’
Sowore faulted the intervention of the Supreme Court in the matter, describing it as a “judicial overreach” that undermined the authority of the appellate court.
“The Supreme Court overstretched itself and twisted justice,” he argued. “It reversed a decision that had already been settled by a competent court — the Court of Appeal. Even then, the Supreme Court itself admitted that Kanu never violated his bail conditions and that it was the Nigerian Army that caused the confusion.”
According to him, the federal government’s actions amount to double jeopardy, which he described as “a criminal act under the law,” since no one can be retried for an offence for which they have been discharged and acquitted.
“I may not be a lawyer, but I know this well enough — no law permits trying a man twice for the same offence,” he said. “This continuous detention is both illegal and immoral.”
How Buhari’s DSS Ignored Court of Appeal Order to Free Nnamdi Kanu Since 2022 – Sowore Reveals
‘The Terrorism Act Is Dead and Buried’
Sowore also dismissed the legal basis for Kanu’s ongoing trial, noting that the Terrorism Act of 2013, under which he was charged, had become obsolete.
“You cannot try anybody under a law that no longer exists,” he said. “The law they’re relying on is dead and buried. What is happening is not about terrorism — it’s about a government terrified of its own citizens.”
He stressed that the struggle to free Kanu was not just about one man, but about every Nigerian’s right to justice, dignity, and freedom.
“When the state tramples on one man’s right, it endangers all of us,” he warned.
Protest to Go Ahead Despite Police Anxiety
On tomorrow’s planned protest in Abuja, Sowore insisted that it will hold as scheduled, describing it as “peaceful, powerful, and legal.”
He disclosed that although the police obtained an ex parte order attempting to restrict movement around certain areas, the order had already lapsed because the organizers were never served, as required by law.
“The judge was clear — the defendants must be served by Friday for the order to take effect. Nobody served us,” Sowore said. “So the protest goes on. We’ll march peacefully and lawfully on the streets of Abuja and across the world.”
He accused the newly appointed Commissioner of Police for the FCT of allegedly receiving “a matching order to be high-handed,” warning that any violent clampdown on peaceful protesters would be considered a crime under international law.
“The police are not a private mercenary force of any political party or special interest,” he said. “Their job is to protect citizens, not brutalize them.”
‘NMA Has Lost Its Moral Compass’ – Sowore
Sowore also reacted to the recent report by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), which claimed that Nnamdi Kanu’s health was not life-threatening. He dismissed the report as “a betrayal of professional ethics”.
“The NMA is a disgrace in this matter,” he said. “These are supposed to be doctors fighting for human rights, but it seems those with conscience have left the country. The NMA I knew under Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti would never have sided with injustice.”
He added that Kanu’s legal team, led by Barrister Maxwell Opara, would challenge such reports in court, emphasizing that the movement demanding Kanu’s release is not a violent or sectional cause, but a moral duty to defend justice in Nigeria.
As preparations for the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest continue, Sowore urged Nigerians and the international community to recognize the case as a litmus test for Nigeria’s democracy.
“This is bigger than Nnamdi Kanu,” he concluded. “It’s about whether our courts mean anything, whether our Constitution still exists, and whether we, as a people, will continue to live under a government that disobeys its own laws.”
What a great resource. I’ll be referring back to this often.