A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Kuje, Abuja, has granted bail to former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu’s brother Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and ten others following their arrest during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in the nation’s capital earlier this week.
The court, on Friday, set bail at ₦500,000 for each of the 13 defendants, with two sureties in like sum. They were charged with inciting public disturbance and breach of peace in connection with the demonstration calling for the release of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
While Ejimakor, Prince Kanu, and the other protesters were arrested on Monday, October 20, and remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Sowore was taken into custody three days later at the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he had gone to show solidarity during Kanu’s terrorism trial.
The protest, which took place outside the Federal High Court, was part of a wider campaign demanding Kanu’s unconditional release. Police had earlier dispersed demonstrators using teargas and arrested several participants, citing public order concerns.
Kanu, the leader of IPOB, a movement banned by the Nigerian government and designated as a terrorist organisation has been in custody since his arrest in 2021 after being extradited from Kenya. He is currently facing terrorism-related charges, which he denies.