The tension that followed Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja took a dramatic turn on Friday as a Magistrate’s Court in Kuje granted bail to publisher and activist Omoyele Sowore, Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer Aloy Ejimakor, the IPOB leader’s brother Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and ten other protesters earlier detained by security operatives.

Each of the 13 defendants was granted bail in the sum of ₦500,000, with two sureties in like sum, following their arraignment on charges bordering on incitement, unlawful assembly, and breach of public peace.

The court order came after days of heated public attention surrounding the arrests, which took place at different locations in the Federal Capital Territory during and after the protest calling for the release of detained IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

According to details presented in court, Ejimakor, Emmanuel Kanu, and ten other demonstrators were apprehended by the police during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow march held on October 20 in Abuja. They were subsequently remanded at the Kuje Correctional Facility.

Sowore, on the other hand, was arrested three days later, on October 23, within the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja, shortly after attending Kanu’s terrorism trial in solidarity. Witnesses at the scene said plainclothes officers moved in swiftly, taking the Sahara Reporters publisher into custody as supporters chanted his name.

The prosecution alleged that the group’s activities had caused “public disturbance” and could potentially trigger unrest, but defence lawyers maintained that their gathering was peaceful and constitutionally protected.

Granting bail on Friday, the Kuje Chief Magistrate said the accused persons had met the preliminary conditions for temporary release pending further hearings. He cautioned them to refrain from actions capable of undermining public order, adding that their liberty should not be misinterpreted as immunity from legal consequence.

> “The court recognises the constitutional right to protest, but such actions must be carried out within the ambit of the law,” the magistrate ruled. “Each defendant is admitted to bail in the sum of ₦500,000, with two sureties of equal value.”

The bail ruling came just 24 hours after Nnamdi Kanu’s separate trial was adjourned to October 27, following his disclosure that his former counsel, Kanu Agabi (SAN), was yet to release his case file.

Friday’s court session was attended by several civil rights advocates and members of pro-democracy groups who described the arrests as “unjust” and “politically motivated.”

Meanwhile, both Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, and several northern socio-political groups had earlier condemned Sowore’s arrest, urging the Federal Government to respect freedom of expression and lawful dissent.

With bail now secured, the 13 defendants are expected to regain temporary freedom over the weekend as documentation and surety verification continue.

The matter is expected to resume later for further hearing at the Kuje Magistrate’s Court.

Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on Friday failed to open his defence before the Federal High Court in Abuja — blaming his former counsel for allegedly holding on to his case file.

At the resumed hearing of his terrorism trial, Kanu told the court that the development left him unprepared to proceed with his defence. He explained that his previous legal team, led by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi (SAN), had yet to release key documents required to present his case.

The IPOB leader had earlier been scheduled to commence his defence on Thursday but announced the disengagement of his former lawyers, requesting a brief adjournment to reorganise his team.

When proceedings resumed on Friday, prosecution counsel Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) reminded the court that the matter was specifically fixed for Kanu to open his defence. However, the defendant stood up to inform the court that he was handicapped by the unavailability of his case file.

“My Lord, I cannot proceed without my case file,” Kanu said. “Those who were supposed to send it to me at the DSS facility have not done so. I need time to go through it with my new lawyers.”

He therefore sought a short adjournment — till Monday, October 27 — to enable him retrieve the file and prepare his defence properly.

Kanu also told the court that he was expecting witnesses from the United Kingdom, the United States, Kenya, and Ethiopia, and requested permission to meet with them over the weekend in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

In his ruling, Justice James Omotosho granted the request, directing the DSS to permit Kanu’s visitors’ access on Saturday and Sunday for pre-trial consultations.

The judge, however, issued a warning that the six-day window earlier granted for the defence exercise, which began on October 23, would not be extended beyond next week.

“The court has been fair enough,” Justice Omotosho said. “You are to commence on Monday. The time frame given remains firm.”

With that, the matter was adjourned to October 27, 2025, for Kanu to finally open his defence.

The IPOB leader faces multiple charges bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony, and has remained in DSS custody since his re-arrest and extradition to Nigeria in 2021.

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