Tension in Abia as Sowore, Kanu’s brother, others protest

From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

There was tension in Abia, yesterday, as the leader of pro-democracy group, RevolutionNow and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 general election, Omoyele Sowore, and Emmanuel Kanu, younger brother of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, led residents and sympathisers of the detained IPOB leader to a one million-man peaceful protest in Aba for his release.

From Enyimba Junction, the protesters marched through the Enugu-Umuahia-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway to Ariaria Junction, where Sowore addressed the protesters.

Addressing the protesters, Sowore said his decision to join the peaceful march for the release of Nnamdi Kanu was to align forces with the residents of Aba and the southeast to speak against injustice meted against one of their sons.

Sowore, while demanding that President Bola Tinubu orders the immediate and unconditional release of Kanu from the Sokoto Prison, said sending the IPOB leader to jail was a wrong decision by the Federal Government.

“Until Nnamdi Kanu is released, the peaceful protest will continue”, Sowore vowed.

The IPOB leader’s brother, Emmanuel Kanu, said the gathering was a protest against injustice and evil committed against his brother by the federal government. Kanu, who condemned the police for allegedly shooting teargas canisters and live ammunition at peaceful protesters, said that rather than being cowed, it emboldened them and gave them the courage to push on, adding that they would continue to march for the freedom of his elder brother, Nnamdi Kanu.

Emmanuel, describing the march as a success, called on Nnamdi Kanu’s supporters and the Igbo across the globe not to be dampened, adding that the protest will not stop until his brother is released by the federal government.

Daily Sun gathered that the protesters were accosted at the A Line Ariaria Market by soldiers from the 144 Battalion of the Nigerian Army. The leader of the soldiers asked the protesters to disperse, arguing that the protest in the market posed great danger to the traders, their businesses, and visitors to the Ariaria International market. He advised them to obtain proper clearance from constituted authorities before they could hold their peaceful protest outside the market.

However, Sowore and Prince Kanu stood their ground, insisting that the protesters should be allowed to exercise their constitutional right to peaceful protest. Minutes later, the protesters encountered a team of policemen at the A Line section of Faulks Road and, in an attempt to disperse the crowd, the police started shooting teargas canisters at the protesters and, also, sporadically shot live ammunition into the air.

Security was said to have been beefed up at the various military and police formations in the city.