Monday, October 20, 2025 - Two journalists working with Agence France-Presse (AFP) have been arrested while they were covering the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.
The journalists were identified as Nick Roll, an American
reporter, and John Okunyomih, a Nigerian videographer.
According to reports, the duo was at the entrance of
Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Maitama when police officers fired teargas at
protesters demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Eyewitnesses said the AFP journalists were filming the
confrontation when security operatives violently accosted and attempted to
restrain them. During the scuffle, their camera was damaged and their mobile
phones were seized. The officers also allegedly tore off their teargas
protection gear.
While Roll was released shortly after the incident,
Okunyomih was taken to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) before being released later in the day.
Police also arrested Aloy Ejimakor, one of Kanu’s lawyers,
during the protest.
Earlier, security operatives had fired multiple rounds of
teargas at commuters and activists gathered around the Central Business
District to begin the demonstration. Some passersby and workers waiting for
transportation were caught in the chaos.
The protest, led by activist and Sahara Reporters publisher
Omoyele Sowore, was organised to demand Kanu’s freedom. The IPOB leader has
been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his
re-arrest in June 2021 and is currently standing trial at the Federal High
Court in Abuja.
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