Nnamdi Kanu’s Lawyers Allege DSS Plotting Violence Around Abuja Court To Justify Clampdown On October 20 Protest

The Global Defence Consortium (GDC) of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has accused Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS), of plotting to stage violence around the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, October 16, 2025, in a desperate move to justify a clampdown on peaceful protesters demanding Kanu’s release.

In a press statement signed by Njoku Jude Njoku, Esq., for the GDC, the group claimed it had “credible intelligence that security operatives, disguised as ‘unknown gunmen,’ and government-hired thugs will be deployed to create chaos and attack innocent people within the vicinity of the court during proceedings.”

The group described the alleged plot as “wicked,” accusing the DSS of attempting to “create a false scene of insecurity so that the Nigerian government can announce a lockdown of Abuja under the pretext of ‘security concerns.’”  

According to the GDC, the aim of the planned chaos is to “frustrate and scuttle the peaceful #FreeMaziNnamdiKanuNow march scheduled to hold.”

“This is the depth Nigeria has sunk into — a country where state institutions now manufacture chaos just to cover up injustice,” the statement said.

It further alleged that “the same government that imported foreign mercenaries in the guise of ‘herdsmen’ to win the 2015 elections is at it again — this time, plotting to demonize peaceful marchers seeking justice for a man who has been illegally detained for years in defiance of court orders.”

The GDC called on the United States Government, the European Union, the African Union, and the Government of Canada to “take note of this intelligence and immediately caution the Nigerian authorities to desist from this dastardly act.”

The group warned that “if anything happens tomorrow or in the coming days, the world should hold the Nigerian government and its security agencies directly responsible.”

Declaring its commitment to non-violence, the GDC said, “We stand for peace, law, and justice. We will not be intimidated, and no amount of orchestrated violence will stop the cry for freedom and fairness for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”

SaharaReporters earlier reported that human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, had continued the mass mobilisation ahead of the October 20 nationwide protest calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu.

During a public outreach on Wednesday to the Utako Market in Abuja, Sowore said, “It was an honour to be charged with him (Nnamdi Kanu). I get charged every week in this country. Last week alone, I was charged three times at the Federal High Court.”

The activist condemned what he described as a pattern of “fake charges” used by the Nigerian government to silence dissent, stressing that the time had come for Nigerians to reject ethnic division and stand for justice.

“We are asking you to please come out on Monday en masse. It is our time to bring our brother home,” he declared.

“And we can’t accept anybody being treated as second-class citizens in this country. That is why we are not here as Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo. I have said it and I will repeat it to you; I don’t know my tribe. My tribe is justice.”

Sowore, who has faced multiple prosecutions and arrests under successive administrations, recounted his own experiences with Nigeria’s justice system to illustrate what he called “state intimidation of freedom fighters.”

“I was born in Ijaw land, but I speak Yoruba. I did NYSC in Hausaland. I have travelled all over the world, to 30 countries. There is no country where citizens are treated like this that I have been through,” he said.

He also expressed cultural solidarity with the Igbo people, jokingly noting his fondness for Ogene music.

“As you see me here, I like Igbo music, particularly Ogene music. That means to say something Igbo dey for my body (That means there is something Igbo in my body),” he added, drawing cheers from the audience.