{"id":21536,"date":"2025-10-21T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=21536"},"modified":"2025-10-20T16:54:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T15:54:52","slug":"barrister-behind-bars-nigerias-crackdown-on-dissent-sparks-legal-uproar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/21\/barrister-behind-bars-nigerias-crackdown-on-dissent-sparks-legal-uproar\/","title":{"rendered":"Barrister Behind Bars: Nigeria\u2019s Crackdown on Dissent Sparks Legal Uproar."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ABUJA, Nigeria \u2014 Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has demanded the immediate release of Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, legal counsel to detained separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, following his arrest during a protest in Abuja. Sowore warned that demonstrators would occupy the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command if Ejimakor and others were not released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ejimakor, Fineboy Kanu \u2014 a relative of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader \u2014 and several others were detained during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held Monday near Transcorp Hilton. Sowore, who led the demonstration, described the arrests as illegal and accused police of using excessive force, including physical assault and arbitrary detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a clear violation of civil liberties,\u201d Sowore said. \u201cWe will not allow peaceful protesters and legal advocates to be brutalized and silenced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The protest was organized to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in detention since 2021 facing charges of treason and terrorism. His arrest and extradition from Kenya sparked international controversy and domestic unrest, particularly in southeastern Nigeria where IPOB maintains strong support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to Ejimakor\u2019s participation in the protest, presidential adviser Bayo Onanuga criticized the lawyer\u2019s conduct, arguing that it violated legal ethics. \u201cAs a lawyer, he should be aware of the principle of sub judice,\u201d Onanuga said. \u201cRather than focusing on preparing a strong case, Mr. Ejimakor has resorted to extra-legal tactics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onanuga called on the Nigerian Bar Association and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to investigate Ejimakor\u2019s actions and consider sanctions for what he described as \u201cunethical behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ejimakor has long served as a prominent voice in Kanu\u2019s legal defense, frequently challenging the government\u2019s handling of the case and advocating for political solutions. His arrest has drawn criticism from civil society groups and legal professionals who argue that lawyers have a right to participate in peaceful protests, especially when defending human rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident has reignited debate over the government\u2019s approach to dissent and the limits of legal advocacy in politically sensitive cases. Critics accuse authorities of weaponizing law enforcement to suppress opposition, while supporters of the administration argue that public protests should not interfere with judicial proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As tensions rise, Sowore has vowed to continue mobilizing support until all detainees are released and the rights of protesters are respected. \u201cWe will not be intimidated,\u201d he said. \u201cJustice must be defended \u2014 in the courtroom and on the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ABUJA, Nigeria \u2014 Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has demanded the immediate release of Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, legal counsel to detained separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, following his arrest during a protest in Abuja. Sowore warned that demonstrators would occupy the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command if Ejimakor and others were not released. Ejimakor, Fineboy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-naija-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Omoyele-Sowore-1.jpg?fit=980%2C551&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21536"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21543,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21536\/revisions\/21543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}