Amnesty International Nigeria has raised alarm over reports of security forces attempting to suppress peaceful demonstrations in Abuja, where protesters are demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

This is as the Nigeria Police Force has defended its use of tear gas, stating security operatives only fired at protesters who were marching toward Aso Rock, where the presidential villa is located.

PUNCH Online had reported earlier that police officers on Monday fired tear gas canisters to disperse protesters around the Maitama area, forcing them to regroup at Utako to continue their demonstration.

But armed operatives again moved in and dispersed them, creating panic, and forcing commuters, traders, and motorists to run for safety.

Reacting in a statement on its X handle, Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the actions, stating that any attempt to undermine freedom of assembly is illegal and reflects an unacceptable intolerance of peaceful protest.

It said, “Amnesty International receives disturbing reports of attempts to crackdown on peaceful protests holding in Abuja, calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu.

“People must be allowed to freely exercise their right to peaceful protest.

“Any act capable of undermining freedom of assembly is illegal and portrays unacceptable intolerance of peaceful dissent.”

The organisation has called for an immediate end to the crackdown and urged authorities to address the protesters’ grievances.

“The Nigerian authorities must ensure that security agencies respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, as guaranteed by both the country’s own constitution and human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party,” Amnesty added.

Meanwhile, police while defending its use of tear gas also dismissed the report that it blocked the road, saying its men only cleared the area after protesters obstructed traffic.

In a statement via his X handle on Monday, the Force spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said police’s action was in line with a subsisting court order restricting demonstrations in certain parts of the city.

“Police teargas protesters attempting to approach Aso Villa in clear contravention of a court order restricting protesters from the Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square and Shehu Shagari Way.

“We are the country’s foremost law enforcement agency. We carried out our mandate.

“And we did NOT block the road but cleared it after it was blocked by the protesters. This is to enable other Nigerians easy passage to their respective destinations,” Hundeyin wrote.

The demonstrators, made up of civil rights activists and members of pro-democracy groups, were part of the #ReleaseNnamdiKanuNow campaign aimed at pressuring the Federal Government to comply with the 2022 Court of Appeal judgment that discharged and acquitted Kanu.

Kanu has been held by the State Security Service since June 2021 while facing trial for terrorism related offences at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The charges against him stemmed from his separatist campaign for an independent Biafra state, which authorities blame for the agitation for violence and killings across parts of the Southeast. (The PUNCH)