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The Nigeria Police Force Headquarters has justified the use of tear gas by its officers to disperse demonstrators in Abuja who were protesting for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The incident took place in several areas within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including the Three Arms Zone, Maitama, and Jabi, where protesters had assembled to demand Kanu’s freedom from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to reports, some protesters attempted to move towards the Three Arms Zone — home to major national institutions such as the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, and Court of Appeal — prompting police officers to release tear gas canisters to disperse the gathering.
The move, however, has attracted criticism from Amnesty International Nigeria, which described it as “an attempt to suppress peaceful protests”.
In a statement posted on its official X handle on Monday, Amnesty International stated, "Amnesty International receives disturbing reports of attempts to crack down on peaceful protests holding in Abuja, calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
People must be allowed to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest.
Any act capable of undermining freedom of assembly is illegal and portrays unacceptable intolerance of peaceful dissent.”
The rights organisation urged Nigerian authorities to ensure that security operatives uphold citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly as provided by the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It also called on the government to listen to the protesters’ concerns and immediately halt any form of crackdown against them.
In response to the backlash, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, defended the police’s actions, asserting that they were in accordance with legal restrictions on demonstrations in specific high-security areas within the FCT.
Writing on his X handle on Monday, Hundeyin said, “Police tear-gassed protesters attempting to approach Aso Villa in clear contravention of a court order restricting protesters from the Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.
We are the country’s foremost law enforcement agency. We carried out our mandate.
And we did not block the road but cleared it after it was blocked by the protesters to enable other Nigerians easy passage to their respective destinations.”
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been held in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021 and is currently facing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja on terrorism-related charges.
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