Onanuga slams Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer #FreeNnamdiKanu protest
Presidential aide and Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, has criticised Aloy Ejimakor, one of the lawyers representing detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, for participating in the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest that took place in Abuja on Monday.
In a video circulating on social media, Ejimakor was seen among protesters chanting solidarity songs and demanding the immediate release of the IPOB leader, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021.
Reacting via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Onanuga condemned Ejimakor’s involvement, describing it as “unprofessional and unbecoming of a legal practitioner.”
“It is disheartening that a lawyer who should be using legal channels to pursue justice is instead joining a mob protest,” Onanuga wrote. “This kind of behaviour diminishes respect for the rule of law and the dignity of the legal profession.”
Protest background
The #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest, held near the Federal High Court, Abuja, drew dozens of Kanu’s supporters, including civil rights activists and members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The protesters accused the federal government of disobeying multiple court orders granting Kanu bail and demanded his unconditional release.
Security operatives later dispersed the protesters after they regrouped at a nearby junction, firing tear gas to prevent what authorities described as “a potential breakdown of public order.”
Ejimakor defends participation
Responding to Onanuga’s comments, Aloy Ejimakor insisted he had every right to join peaceful demonstrations aimed at protecting his client’s constitutional rights.
“There’s nothing unprofessional about standing up against injustice,” Ejimakor said in a media interview. “As a lawyer, I am bound to defend my client within and outside the courtroom, especially when the state is in violation of the law.”
Ejimakor added that the protest was peaceful and that Onanuga’s remarks reflected “the government’s intolerance toward lawful dissent.”
Kanu’s continued detention
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed IPOB, was re-arrested in 2021 and has since faced charges bordering on treasonable felony and terrorism-related offences. His prolonged detention despite several court rulings ordering his release has sparked local and international criticism.
The Appeal Court had previously discharged and acquitted Kanu in October 2022, but the ruling was stayed by the Supreme Court, allowing the federal government to continue his detention pending further legal review.
Watch video
A video of the protest and Onanuga’s reaction has since gone viral across social media platforms, drawing mixed reactions from Nigerians — while some supported Onanuga’s stance, others accused the government of attempting to silence human rights advocacy.
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