The Magistrate Court sitting in Kuje, Abuja, has ordered the remand of Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the younger brother of the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in federal custody for nearly five years.
Also remanded by the court was Kanu’s lawyer, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor.
Both men were arrested during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held on Monday, October 20, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They were arraigned alongside eleven others before the court on Tuesday.
According to the police, the accused persons were charged with offences bordering on breach of public peace and unlawful assembly.
The protest, which called for the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu, reportedly brought activities in parts of Abuja to a standstill, as workers and motorists were unable to access several major routes.
Security operatives clamped down on the demonstrators, citing a subsisting court order that restricted them from entering certain areas within the city.
Last week, the Federal High Court in Abuja had issued an order restraining activist Omoyele Sowore and others from holding protests in specific locations in the capital, including the Aso Rock Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.
Justice Mohammed Umar granted the ex-parte motion filed by police counsel Wisdom Madaki on behalf of the Federal Government, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
The arrested protesters, including Emmanuel Kanu and Ejimakor, are expected to remain in custody pending further proceedings before the Kuje Magistrate Court.
