The Nigeria Police Force Headquarters has finally broken its silence and explained why its operatives fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Abuja who were calling for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.
The incident occurred in several parts of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, including the Three Arms Zone, Maitama, and Jabi, where demonstrators had gathered to demand Kanu’s release from prolonged detention by the Department of State Services.
Protesters reportedly attempted to march towards the Three Arms Zone — an area that houses key national institutions such as the Presidential Villa, the National Assembly, and the Court of Appeal — prompting police operatives to fire tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.
Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, defended the police action, insisting that it was carried out in line with existing legal restrictions on protests in sensitive areas of the FCT.
In a post on his X handle on Monday, Hundeyin said: “Police tear-gassed 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 to enable other Nigerians easy passage to their respective destinations.”
