…Warns Tinubu against pushing Nigerians to the wall
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Igbo Women Assembly (IWA) has condemned the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu; his lawyer, Chief Aloy Ejimakor; and other peaceful protesters detained by the police during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja on Monday.
In a statement signed by its National President, Lolo Chimezie, the group demanded their immediate release, warning that the situation could escalate “into something too big for the government to handle.”
Describing the clampdown on peaceful protesters as “impunity taken too far,” IWA said Nigeria under the All Progressives Congress (APC) has become “worse than a military dictatorship.”
The group urged President Bola Tinubu to order the unconditional release of all protesters arrested during the march, insisting that peaceful protest is an inalienable right of citizens.
Lolo Chimezie, who said she personally participated in the Abuja protest, recounted her experience when security operatives fired tear gas canisters and live ammunition to disperse the demonstrators.
“They manhandled protesters. I was at the rally and was directly teargassed. At a point, live ammunition was also fired. That’s very wrong,” she said.
“A number of protesters, including Kanu’s brother and his lawyer, Ejimakor, were arrested. We call on the police and other security agencies to release every protester they detained because it’s our constitutional right to protest.”
Chimezie warned the government against “pushing Nigerians to the wall,” stressing that no amount of intimidation would silence citizens demanding justice.
IWA also criticized the APC for its intolerance of protests despite being “a product of protests itself.”
“Let’s remind the APC that during the build-up to the 2014 elections, it organized numerous protests against the PDP-led administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan never used federal might against them,” the group noted.
The women’s group accused the Tinubu administration of clamping down on dissenting voices and acting in ways reminiscent of military rule.
“President Tinubu should know that the APC government under his watch is becoming worse than a military dictatorship. It will not be fair to push Nigerians so hard against the wall because doing so could lead to a situation the government may not manage,” the statement read.
IWA urged the Federal Government to engage with protesters rather than repress them, stressing that “Nnamdi Kanu has done nothing to justify his continued persecution.”
The group commended all who participated in the protest and urged Nigerians to remain united against injustice, regardless of ethnic or religious differences.
Kanu has been detained at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja since his abduction in Kenya and extraordinary rendition in 2021. Despite multiple court rulings ordering his release, the Federal Government has refused to comply.
Rights activist Omoyele Sowore is currently leading a nationwide solidarity march demanding Kanu’s freedom. The protest has reportedly paralysed economic activities across parts of the South-East and South-South regions.
