Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has confirmed that he will appear in court on Monday alongside activist Omoyele Sowore, Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, Barrister Okere and 11 others over their alleged participation in the October 2025 #FreeNnamdiKanu protest.
Ejimakor disclosed this in a post on his X account on Sunday, ahead of the scheduled proceedings at the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja.
“Tomorrow, I will appear in court with Sowore, Prince Kanu, Barr. Okere and 11 others for trial over the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest of October 2025,” he wrote.
The lawyer said the case goes beyond the individual defendants, insisting that it raises a fundamental question about the constitutional right of Nigerians to protest.
“This case is not about us. It is about the constitutional right of the citizen to protest. The Constitution, not fear, should decide,” Ejimakor said.
The defendants are facing trial over their alleged participation in the October 20, 2025 demonstration in Abuja, where protesters demanded the release of Kanu, who was at the time undergoing trial on terrorism-related charges before the Federal High Court.
The police charged Ejimakor, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, Bishop Wilson Anyalewechi and other protesters with offences including criminal conspiracy, disobedience to a public servant, inciting disturbance and disturbing public peace.
The charges followed the arrests of the defendants at different locations in Abuja on October 20, 2025, while participating in activities connected to the protest demanding Kanu’s release.
According to the charge sheet, the police accused the defendants of “inciting disturbance, and breach of public Peace in disobedience to a court Order, denying other citizens the freedom of movement, disrupting free flow of traffic while chanting war songs and requesting for the release of Nnamdi Kanu who is undergoing lawful trial at the Federal High Court in a manner that threatens National Security.”
Another defendant, Chima Onuchukwu, was separately accused of carrying a placard bearing the inscription “Free Nnamdi Kanu” and allegedly inciting disturbance.
The defendants were initially detained at the SARS Abattoir facility in Abuja before being taken to the Kuje Magistrate Court, where Prince Emmanuel Kanu and Ejimakor were remanded in October 2025.
The case later returned to court on June 5, 2026, but the prosecution failed to appear for the proceedings.
Ejimakor subsequently disclosed that the defence asked the court to strike out or dismiss the charges following the prosecution’s failure to appear.
The court, however, gave the prosecution a final opportunity to appear and adjourned the matter.
Ejimakor has repeatedly maintained that the defendants are being prosecuted for exercising what he described as their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest.
“We are standing strong in defence of freedom, in defence of the right of the citizen to freely express himself, and in defence of the right of the citizen to protest to the government of the day,” he said.
“We believe that when the hammer comes down, when the gavel comes down, justice will be served and that justice will be ours.”
Sowore has also alleged that the arrests were politically motivated, maintaining that the protesters were participating in a peaceful demonstration demanding Kanu’s release.
The case has consequently placed the question of citizens’ right to protest against the authorities’ claims of public order and national security at the centre of the proceedings.
The legal battle is also taking place against the backdrop of Kanu’s separate terrorism trial.
Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2025 after being convicted on terrorism-related charges.
Justice James Omotosho ruled that Kanu’s broadcasts and directives amounted to acts of terrorism, incitement and threats to national security.
Kanu had pleaded not guilty to the charges during the trial.
With the defendants scheduled to return to the Kuje Magistrate Court on Monday, the proceedings are expected to renew the legal and political debate over the limits of the right to protest, the enforcement of court orders and the extent to which national security considerations can restrict citizens’ constitutional freedoms.