October 20, 2025
By Tobi Akinnubi
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has criticized Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, for participating in the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest organised by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore in Abuja.
In a statement released on Monday, Onanuga described Ejimakor’s involvement in the protest as “inappropriate and unbecoming” of a legal practitioner who represents a client before the court. He argued that joining a street demonstration while the matter is still before the judiciary amounts to undermining the rule of law and due process.
“The court is the proper venue for Kanu’s legal team to seek his freedom, not the streets of Abuja,” Onanuga stated, emphasizing that the government remains committed to upholding judicial procedures in handling the case.
The protest, which took place on Monday, saw activists and supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in 2021.
Ejimakor, who joined the protest alongside other rights advocates, maintained that his client’s continued detention despite multiple court orders granting him bail was a violation of fundamental human rights.
The Presidency, however, reiterated that the administration of President Bola Tinubu will not interfere with ongoing court processes, insisting that all matters related to Kanu’s detention and trial must follow the rule of law.
