Nigerian Police Drag IPOB Leader’s Lawyer and Kanu’s Brother to Remote Kuje Court, Defying Due Process

The ongoing persecution of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its supporters took a disturbing turn on Tuesday as Aloy Ejimakor, lead counsel to detained IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, revealed how the Nigerian police deliberately bypassed several magistrate courts in Abuja town and instead chose the remote Kuje Magistrate Court to secure his remand — alongside Kanu’s brother, Fineboy Kanu, and eleven other peaceful protesters.

Ejimakor, who confirmed that he is currently being held at Kuje Prison, disclosed that the police’s actions were clearly premeditated and politically motivated, designed to silence lawful agitation for Kanu’s release.

“I am safe and sound but still under custody at Kuje prison. The Magistrate refused to listen to our submissions. He insisted on remanding us till Friday and got his way,” Ejimakor wrote on X. “For context: keep in mind that they bypassed several Magistrate courts in town and headed to this one in Kuje.”

Police Target Peaceful Protesters

The arrests followed a peaceful #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in Abuja to demand compliance with multiple court orders that have called for Kanu’s unconditional release. Instead of engaging the demonstrators, the police cracked down violently, detaining at least thirteen activists — including Ejimakor and Prince Emmanuel Kanu — and transporting them to the notorious SARS Abattoir detention facility.

Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, condemned the move, calling it a gross abuse of power and a calculated attempt to undermine the judiciary.

“They were moved to Kuje for remand at all costs,” Sowore wrote. “This is a directive from the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, executed to intimidate anyone demanding justice for Nnamdi Kanu.”

A Systemic Conspiracy

Sources close to the case allege that the move to remand Ejimakor and Kanu’s brother in Kuje was orchestrated in collaboration between the executive, legislative, and judicial arms of government — all in a desperate effort to frustrate Kanu’s upcoming trial.

Kanunta Kanu, another of Nnamdi Kanu’s brothers, wrote on X:

“The magistrate sitting in Kuje remanded Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel in Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case, and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, his youngest brother. This is a conspiracy from the executive, legislative, and judiciary to frustrate Kanu’s trial on Thursday.”

Continued Defiance of Court Orders

Despite multiple rulings from both Nigerian and international courts declaring Nnamdi Kanu’s detention illegal, the government continues to flout the law. Human rights groups have repeatedly warned that the regime’s tactics — from unlawful arrests to secret detentions — reveal a pattern of authoritarianism and contempt for judicial independence.

Ejimakor’s detention, analysts say, marks a dangerous escalation. The arrest of a defense lawyer actively engaged in a politically sensitive case not only violates fundamental legal principles but also exposes the deep rot in Nigeria’s justice system.

For many observers, this latest development confirms what IPOB supporters have long argued: that Nigeria’s political and security establishment will go to any length to suppress dissenting voices, even if it means openly defying the rule of law.

As Ejimakor and others remain unlawfully held in Kuje, global attention once again turns toward Nigeria’s crumbling democratic institutions — and a government increasingly defined by its hostility to justice, human rights, and accountability.