Abuja, Nigeria – October 20, 2025 – In a stark escalation of tensions surrounding Nigeria's ongoing separatist agitation, two journalists from the global wire service Agence France-Presse (AFP) were briefly detained by police while documenting a volatile protest in the capital. The incident, which unfolded near the upscale Transcorp Hilton Hotel in the Maitama district, has ignited widespread condemnation from media watchdogs and human rights advocates, who decry it as a blatant assault on press freedom in a nation already grappling with democratic backsliding.
The journalists, identified as American reporter Nicholas Roll—commonly referred to as Nick Roll—and Nigerian videographer John Okunyomih, were covering the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow demonstration when security forces intervened aggressively. Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene at the protest's epicenter: As activists chanted slogans for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, the incarcerated leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), officers from the Nigeria Police Force unleashed volleys of tear gas canisters. The acrid fumes blanketed the area, ensnaring not only demonstrators but also unsuspecting commuters and office workers in the bustling Central Business District (CBD).
Roll and Okunyomih, positioned at the hotel's entrance to capture the unfolding confrontation, quickly became targets themselves. According to accounts from fellow reporters and protesters, the duo was filming the dispersal operation when a squad of uniformed officers accosted them without warning. "They grabbed us violently, shouting that we had no business being there," Okunyomih later recounted in an interview with Sahara Reporters, his voice still hoarse from the ordeal. During the ensuing scuffle, the videographer's professional camera was smashed against the pavement, rendering it inoperable and destroying irreplaceable footage. Mobile phones were confiscated, and in a particularly brazen act, officers allegedly ripped off the journalists' protective gear—masks and goggles designed to shield against tear gas—exposing them to the irritant and exacerbating their injuries.
The arrests lasted mere hours but carried profound implications. Roll, leveraging his foreign status, was released almost immediately following on-site negotiations involving AFP representatives and, reportedly, a swift intervention from the French Embassy in Abuja. Okunyomih, however, endured a more protracted detention. He was bundled into a police van and transported to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at No. 1 Zaria Street in Garki 2, a facility notorious for its overcrowded cells and allegations of mistreatment. It was only after persistent advocacy from the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council and renewed diplomatic pressure that he was freed later that afternoon. Upon release, Okunyomih detailed the humiliation: "They treated us like criminals, not reporters doing our jobs. My equipment is ruined—how do I file my story now?"
This episode was far from isolated amid the broader crackdown on the protest, which drew hundreds to Abuja's streets despite stern warnings from authorities. Organized by prominent activist and Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore, the rally marked a culmination of weeks of mobilization under the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow banner. Sowore, a veteran of Nigeria's protest movements—including the 2019 #RevolutionNow uprising and the 2020 #EndSARS demonstrations—took to the forefront, megaphone in hand, as participants waved placards emblazoned with messages like "Justice for Kanu" and "End IPOB Persecution." The event coincided symbolically with the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests, amplifying calls for broader police reforms.
Security forces, anticipating unrest, had cordoned off key routes around the Unity Fountain and CBD. Pre-dawn deployments included armored vehicles and anti-riot squads, but the initial trigger for the melee came around 8 a.m., when police fired the first canisters at a cluster of activists assembling peacefully. Videos circulating on social media—posted by users like @YeleSowore and @SaharaReporters—captured the pandemonium: Protesters coughing and fleeing, women shielding children from the gas, and officers wielding batons with unbridled force. Among the casualties were passersby, including civil servants waiting for buses, who suffered respiratory distress and minor injuries. At least a dozen were hospitalized, according to preliminary reports from the FCT Emergency Management Agency.
The protest's core demand remains the immediate and unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, the fiery IPOB figurehead whose detention has become a lightning rod for southeastern Nigeria's grievances. Kanu, 58, was dramatically re-arrested in June 2021 after jumping bail in 2017 and fleeing to Israel. Extradited back amid international outcry over his rendition—allegedly involving hooded operatives and a private jet—he has languished in solitary confinement at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja. Charged with seven counts including treasonable felony and terrorism under the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, Kanu's trial at the Federal High Court has dragged on for over four years, mired in procedural delays and denied bail applications.
Kanu's supporters, numbering in the millions across the Igbo heartland and diaspora, portray him as a political prisoner persecuted for advocating Biafran self-determination—a cause rooted in the scars of Nigeria's 1967-1970 civil war, which claimed over a million lives. IPOB, designated a terrorist organization by Nigeria in 2017 and echoed by the U.S. in 2019, has evolved from a cultural advocacy group into a symbol of ethnic marginalization. Critics, however, accuse Kanu of inciting violence through incendiary radio broadcasts from his London base, broadcasts that fueled the "sit-at-home" enforcements in the southeast that have crippled local economies.
The Abuja rally was one of several nationwide actions planned for October 20, with parallel demonstrations in Lagos, Enugu, and Onitsha. In Lagos, police similarly dispersed crowds, detaining a protester named Declan Ihekaire before releasing him amid public backlash. Back in Abuja, the arrests extended beyond journalists: Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu's lead counsel, was among 13 individuals rounded up, including Kanu's brother, Prince Emmanuel "Fineboy" Kanu, and barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor. Eyewitnesses reported Ejimakor live-tweeting his own apprehension: "We've just been arrested... at FCT COMMAND CID." Transferred to the infamous SARS facility—once a byword for extrajudicial killings during the #EndSARS era—the group faced charges of "public disturbance." Sowore decried the move on X (formerly Twitter): "Their only crime was exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest... Shockingly, they've been taken to the notorious SARS Abattoir detention."
Nigeria's police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, pushed back against accusations of targeting the media during an interview on News Central TV. "There have been no attacks on journalists," he insisted, claiming that once identities were verified, detentions were swiftly resolved. "The police and press are partners." Yet, video evidence—shared widely by outlets like ARISE News and The Cable—contradicts this narrative, showing officers manhandling clearly marked reporters. The NUJ FCT Council issued a blistering statement, labeling the incident a "gross violation of press freedom" and demanding compensation for Okunyomih's damaged gear: "This is an affront to democratic principles. Security agents must replace the camera immediately."
The fallout has reverberated internationally. The French Embassy's involvement underscores growing foreign scrutiny of Nigeria's human rights record under President Bola Tinubu's administration, which assumed power in 2023 amid economic woes and insecurity. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch swiftly condemned the arrests, with the latter noting: "Journalists are not the enemy; silencing them only deepens Nigeria's crisis of trust." AFP itself released a terse statement affirming its reporters' accreditation and calling for an independent probe.
As night fell on Abuja, Sowore vowed to persist: "We will not be intimidated. #FreeNnamdiKanuNow is just beginning." With Kanu's next court date looming in November, the protests signal a powder keg. In a federation fraying along ethnic lines, where over 10,000 have died in farmer-herder clashes and Boko Haram insurgencies since 2009, Kanu's plight encapsulates deeper fault lines: demands for equity, federal overreach, and the right to dissent. Whether this spark ignites broader unrest or forces concessions remains unclear, but one thing is certain—Nigeria's streets, once again, echo with unresolved cries for justice.
