A Magistrate Court sitting in Kuje, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has ordered the remand of Prince Emmanuel Kanu, younger brother of the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and his lawyer, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The decision followed their alleged involvement in the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest, which took place on Monday in Abuja. The protest, staged by supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), demanded the immediate release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Confirming the development, Kanunta Kanu, another brother of Nnamdi Kanu, took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), alleging a coordinated effort by the executive, legislative, and judicial arms of government to frustrate Kanu’s upcoming trial scheduled for Thursday.
“The magistrate sitting in Kuje remanded Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel in Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case, and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, his youngest brother. This is a conspiracy from the executive, legislature, and judiciary to frustrate Kanu’s trial on Thursday,” he wrote.
Reports earlier emerged that the Nigeria Police had arraigned Ejimakor, Prince Kanu, and ten others for offences bordering on inciting public disturbance and breach of public peace.
According to court documents shared on X by Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, a former National Chairman of the Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the defendants were accused of obstructing public roads, disrupting traffic flow, and chanting protest songs during the demonstration.
The police alleged that the group’s actions amounted to disobedience to a lawful court order restricting public protests within certain parts of the FCT.
Speaking earlier on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the suspects had been arrested during the protest and would be charged after investigations were concluded.
The remand order means that Ejimakor, Prince Kanu, and the others will remain in custody at Kuje Prison pending further court proceedings.
The development has stirred mixed reactions across social media, with human rights advocates and IPOB supporters calling for their immediate release and condemning what they describe as “judicial harassment.”
