Chaos as police disperse Abuja protesters, S'East shuts down for Kanu

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

60% : The organisation reaffirmed the importance of protecting citizens' rights to peaceful assembly and expression and urged the government to respect these freedoms.
56% : The demonstration, convened by rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, was part of the #FreeNnamdiKanu campaign pressing for Kanu's release from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), where he has been held since June 2021.
54% : By : Terhemba Daka, Sodiq Omolaoye, Ameh Ochojila, Abubakar Ojima-ojo (Abuja), Lawrence Njoku (Enugu), Gordi Udeajah (Umuahia), Nnamdi Akpa (Abakaliki), Uzoma Nzeagwu (Awka), Charles Ogugbuaja (Owerri) and Kehinde Olatunji (Lagos) * Police justify use of force, cite court order restricting protests * Counter-protesters rally in Abuja, back continued trial of IPOB leader * Presidency faults Sowore, calls for sanction of Kanu's lawyer over protest *
54% : The finding followed an order by Justice James Omotosho for an independent evaluation after conflicting reports were presented by the defence and the Department of State Services (DSS).
53% : Security operatives, including soldiers, police and Department of State Services (DSS) personnel, mounted barricades at major roads, restricting access to the Three Arms Zone, which houses the Presidency, National Assembly and Supreme Court.
53% : Markets, schools, offices and banks were closed across Owerri and the 27 local councils.
52% : Hundeyin said the police would continue to maintain law and order while protecting citizens' rights, urging Nigerians to respect lawful instructions and judicial pronouncements.
52% : Shops, schools, banks, eateries and markets were closed, while only a few commercial tricycles operated.
49% : In contrast, Umuahia witnessed a peaceful street demonstration led by youths chanting "Release Nnamdi Kanu." The protesters, who carried placards reading "Federal Government, obey court order" and "Tinubu, restore peace and security in the South-East," marched from Okpara Square through Isi Gate to Aba Road.
49% : Roads and markets were empty, while banks, schools and offices were closed.
48% : Onanuga, who is the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, also called on legal authorities to sanction one of Kanu's lawyers, Mr Aloy Ejimakor, for alleged unethical conduct after he was seen participating in the protest.
48% : " He described Sowore's actions as a "pastime of PR agitation and courting public sympathy to interfere with judicial proceedings," adding that such methods are "outdated and counterproductive in a modern democracy.
48% : " He emphasised that the judiciary must be allowed to carry out its constitutional duties without external pressure, reaffirming the Tinubu administration's commitment to the rule of law and to ensuring that justice is served through the courts, not through protests or street campaigns. Kanu's trial stalls as court activities shut down in Abuja Hearing in the police suit against activist Omoyele Sowore and other conveners of the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest was stalled yesterday as activities at the Federal High Court in Abuja came to a halt.
46% : A few protesters regrouped around the Apo Mechanic area, defiantly chanting and waving placards despite the deployment of armed personnel.
45% : There is hunger, starvation, and political oppression.
45% : In a statement yesterday, CDHR President, Mr Debo Adeniran, said the protest, which was met with teargas, was a constitutionally guaranteed peaceful assembly aimed at expressing dissatisfaction with government actions and policies.
44% : " Sowore said Nigerians of diverse backgrounds were united by shared hardship and political disillusionment.
44% : Justice Mohammed Umar had on Friday fixed yesterday for the respondents in the ex parte motion filed by the police, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to show cause why an interim order barring Sowore and others from staging protests near key government institutions should not be vacated.
43% : South-East shuts down as residents demand Kanu's release IN Enugu, schools, markets and major roads were deserted as residents complied with a sit-at-home action declared in solidarity with the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow campaign.
41% : Elsewhere, a counter-protest emerged around 10:00 a.m. near the Labour House bridge in Abuja's central area, where another group of demonstrators waved Nigerian flags and carried placards with the inscription "No Pressure to the Rule of Law.
41% : Such high-handed tactics do not resolve conflicting issues but rather exacerbate them, breeding public resentment and creating fertile ground for possible violent actions in the future.
39% : Also reacting, Mr Sunday Dare, another presidential aide, cautioned Sowore and his supporters against what he called attempts to interfere with the judicial process through protests and inflammatory rhetoric.
39% : You cannot employ protest and civil unrest to demand the release of someone accused of terrorism whose case is still in court.
36% : Observers said the coordinated shutdown demonstrated the lingering influence of the IPOB leader and the depth of public frustration over perceived marginalisation and disregard for judicial rulings.
33% : He said the government's actions were oppressive, condemnable and an unacceptable abuse of power that could worsen tensions and fuel public resentment.
32% : Oladejo said: "This so-called protest is not about justice; it is about political frustration.
17% : "The deployment of state instruments of coercion against citizens expressing legitimate grievances against government action is an unacceptable abuse of power and a direct assault on the sensibilities of our people and the civilised principles of democracy.

*Our bias meter rating uses data science including sentiment analysis, machine learning and our proprietary algorithm for determining biases in news articles. Bias scores are on a scale of -100% to 100% with higher negative scores being more liberal and higher positive scores being more conservative, and 0% being neutral. The rating is an independent analysis and is not affiliated nor sponsored by the news source or any other organization.