The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has defended its decision to disperse protesters with teargas in Abuja on Monday, saying the action was necessary to maintain law and order.
The protesters, who gathered for the “Free Nnamdi Kanu Now” demonstration, were reportedly heading towards Aso Villa when officers intervened.
The police said the crowd’s movement violated an existing court order restricting protests in certain parts of the Federal Capital Territory.
Force spokesperson, CSP Ben Hundeyin, said the police acted within the boundaries of the law and in line with their constitutional responsibility to enforce order.
Hundeyin explained, “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.”
He clarified that the police did not shut down any roads as claimed in some reports but only intervened to restore normal vehicular movement after protesters had blocked key routes.
He said, “We did not block the road but cleared it after it was blocked by the protesters. This is to enable other Nigerians an easy passage to their respective destinations.”
The demonstration, which sought the release of the detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, had drawn a heavy security presence around the city centre, particularly near strategic government buildings.
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