#FreeNnamdiKanuNow: Ohanaeze Youths Warn Tinubu, Security Chiefs Against Violating Protesters’ Rights

The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has cautioned President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi, against any attempt to violate the constitutional rights of Nigerians participating in the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest scheduled for Monday, October 20.

The protest, organized to demand the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is set to take place in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the OYC warned security agencies to refrain from harassing or assaulting peaceful demonstrators, insisting that the Nigerian government must respect citizens’ fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

The warning comes on the eve of the planned nationwide protest, which human rights activist Omoyele Sowore is spearheading.

Addressing journalists on Sunday, the National President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, warned that the council would not tolerate any attempt by security agencies or government officials to undermine the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria against the protesters.

“I remind Nigeria's police boss, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, DSS Boss, Mr. Adeola Ajayi, and President Bola Tinubu that none of them is above the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),” Igboayaka said.

He urged the country’s top security officials to familiarise themselves with Chapter IV of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees the fundamental human rights of all citizens, including the right to life, dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, privacy, freedom of thought, expression, assembly, movement, and freedom from discrimination.

“I implore the illegal Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Director-General of the State Security Service, Mr. Adeola Ajayi, and President Bola Tinubu to engage a patriotic Nigerian lawyer to enlighten them on the fundamental human rights as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution,” he said.

Igboayaka stressed that the right to peaceful assembly and association, one of the key provisions of the Constitution, allows Nigerians to gather and express their views without interference.

“No judicial pronouncement anywhere in the world can prohibit citizens from forming assemblies or gatherings for peaceful protests to express their dissatisfaction over the Federal Government’s illegal detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” he added.

The OYC president described the planned #FreeNnamdiKanu protest, organised under the Pan-Nigerian platform led by Sowore, as a legitimate and constitutional action to demand justice and accountability.

“Bola Tinubu, Kayode Egbetokun, and Adeola Ajayi have the option to reveal Nigeria to the international community as a nation where human rights are either violated or respected, depending on their actions on October 20,” Igboayaka said.

He further called on the Inspector-General of Police to “reclaim his lost service credibility” by ensuring the safety of peaceful demonstrators across the country.

“I urge the IGP to assign a necessary security contingent to safeguard Nigerians as they exercise their fundamental human rights on October 20, 2025, in Abuja,” the OYC leader advised.

The protest is expected to draw participation from civil society groups, human rights activists, and pro-democracy advocates demanding the release of the detained IPOB leader, Kanu, who has remained in the custody of the DSS since June 2021 despite multiple court rulings ordering his release.