Amnesty International demands immediate release of Kanu’s lawyer, brother
Amnesty International Nigeria has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, lead counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and his younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu.
The global human rights organisation, in a statement on Tuesday, condemned their arrest and subsequent remand in Kuje Prison, describing it as a deliberate attempt to suppress peaceful dissent.
A magistrate court in Kuje, Abuja, on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, ordered the remand of Ejimakor, Prince Kanu, and 10 others following their participation in the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in Abuja on Monday.
The police charged them with inciting disturbance and breaching public peace, alleging that they obstructed traffic and disrupted public order while calling for Nnamdi Kanu’s release.
Amnesty International said: “The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release lawyer Aloy Ejimakor and Prince Emmanuel Kanu and to drop the bizarre plan to subject them to sham trial based on fabricated charges. Their arrest and plan to arraign them shows a desperate attempt to silence peaceful dissent.”
The organisation also condemned their remand in Kuje Prison, describing it as “a further and chilling escalation of Nigerian government’s relentless efforts to undermine freedom of assembly.”
Amnesty International noted that the detention of Ejimakor and Prince Kanu reflects “a much wider crackdown on civic space” under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, warning that such actions risk eroding the foundations of democratic engagement in Nigeria.
“This travesty of justice must stop,” the statement added, urging the authorities to respect the rule of law and end politically motivated prosecutions.
