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In a statement posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, Amnesty International condemned the remand of Ejimakor and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the younger brother of the IPOB leader, in Kuje Correctional Centre after their arrest during a peaceful assembly on Monday.
Global human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against what it described as an arbitrary crackdown on civic space in Nigeria, following the detention of Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, Amnesty International condemned the remand of Ejimakor and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the younger brother of the IPOB leader, in Kuje Correctional Centre after their arrest during a peaceful assembly on Monday.
The statement read, “Remanding lawyer Aloy Ejimakor and Prince Emmanuel Kanu in Kuje Prison just for participating in a peaceful assembly marks a further and chilling escalation of the Nigerian government’s relentless efforts to undermine freedom of assembly.
“What President Bola Tinubu’s government is subjecting Aloy Ejimakor and Prince Emmanuel Kanu to comes in the context of a much wider crackdown on civic space. This travesty of justice must stop.”
Amnesty International called on the Nigerian authorities to immediately release the detained individuals and uphold their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, as guaranteed under both domestic and international law.
The organisation further urged the Tinubu administration to end the growing pattern of targeting lawyers, activists, and relatives of political detainees, stressing that the repression of dissent only deepens the climate of fear and injustice.
During the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in Abuja on October 20, 2025, Ejimakor and Prince Emmanuel were arrested by Nigerian police alongside 11 other demonstrators.
The protest, aimed at demanding the immediate release of Kanu from DSS custody, quickly escalated into a legal confrontation.
The group was charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbance, disobedience of a lawful order, and breach of public peace.
Following their arraignment, the magistrate court in Kuje, Federal Capital Territory, ordered that Ejimakor, Prince Emmanuel, and the others be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre. According to Ejimakor, the authorities deliberately chose to take their case to a specific magistrate’s court in Kuje, bypassing other available courts in the city, a move he suggested was politically motivated.
Ejimakor later addressed supporters via a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “I am safe and sound but still under custody at Kuje prison. The Magistrate refused to listen to our submissions. He insisted on remanding us till Friday and got his way.”
The arrest of Ejimakor and others has sparked outrage among pro-democracy and human rights groups, who accuse the Nigerian government of criminalising peaceful protests and silencing voices calling for Nnamdi Kanu’s release.
Supporters of the IPOB leader have decried the arrests as part of a broader strategy to frustrate Kanu’s legal defence and suppress dissenting voices.
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