Justice Comes from Courts, Not Street Protests — Nigeria Presidency Warns Sowore

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

Justice Comes from Courts, Not Street Protests — Nigeria Presidency Warns Sowore

The Presidency has cautioned human rights activist Omoyele Sowore against using street demonstrations to influence ongoing court proceedings related to the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, issued the warning on Monday in a post shared via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account.

Dare was reacting to the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest led by Sowore in Abuja, which was disrupted by security forces after demonstrators demanded the immediate release of Kanu.

“Protests, threats, and inflammatory rhetoric do not advance the cause of justice; they obstruct it,” Dare stated. “Justice must come through courts, not street protests. You cannot use civil unrest to demand the release of someone accused of terrorism and whose case is still before the court — not even in America.”

The presidential aide added that Kanu’s case “long predates President Tinubu’s administration” and remains “strictly under judicial consideration.”

The warning comes a day after security operatives dispersed protesters who gathered in Abuja for the #FreeNnamdiKanu rally organised by Sowore.

The activist alleged that police fired live bullets and arrested several participants, including Nnamdi Kanu’s younger brother and his lawyer.

Nnamdi Kanu was re-arrested in Kenya in 2021 and extradited to Nigeria, where he has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). He is facing terrorism-related charges, which the Federal High Court recently ruled should proceed to full trial after dismissing his no-case submission.

In October 2022, the Court of Appeal had ordered Kanu’s release and dismissed the terrorism charges, citing irregularities in his extradition. However, the Federal Government appealed the ruling, and the judgment was stayed pending the Supreme Court’s decision.

Since then, several groups and individuals, especially from Nigeria’s South-East region, have renewed calls for Kanu’s freedom as part of efforts to reduce regional tension.

The Presidency’s latest warning signals its stance against attempts to use street protests to pressure the judiciary, maintaining that the matter will be resolved only “through the rule of law.”

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Chioma Ndukwu

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