The trial of human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, alongside Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu, and 11 other defendants was stalled on Monday, December 15, 2025, due to an apparent lack of preparedness by the Nigeria Police Force.
The defendants, all remanded in Kuje Prison before their bail, for participation in the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow peaceful protest in October 2025, appeared before the magistrate court in Kuje, Abuja, as proceedings were set to resume.
While waiting for the presiding magistrate, Ejimakor took to 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) to address supporters, narrating their situation outside the courtroom.
He wrote, “I’m here with Omoyele Sowore. We are here as comrades to face the injustice that was brought upon us on October 20th when we were arrested for simply engaging in a civil protest.
“I’m speaking to you right now from the confines of the Magistrate Court sitting in Kuje. We are awaiting the arrival of the court and for the court to convene.”
After the session, Sowore and Ejimakor, flanked by their legal team led by Barrister Maxwell Okpara, said the case was stalled and adjourned after the police claimed they were not ready to proceed.
“The case of the Nigeria Police Force’s illegal IGP against 14 activists participating in the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest was adjourned today by the Magistrate Court in Kuje, with the police citing lack of preparedness despite having arrested the defendants in October,” Sowore told journalists outside the courtroom.
Speaking further, Sowore criticised the prosecution, insisting the police had “nothing more” than the statement served in court.
He said, “The proof is the statement; they have nothing more. They just want to waste our time. We have a country to save. Election is coming in 2027, and we badly want to displace Bola Tinubu and his gang of robbers, criminals, and looters, so that we can retire the already tired and retired Police IG and prosecute all of them just like they have arrested Malami and the rest of them.
“When we come to office, we will rearrest everybody that has been prosecuted and prosecute them properly, accordingly.”
Their counsel, Barrister Maxwell Okpara, criticised the police for failing to bring evidence or witnesses to court.
Okpara said, “It is high time you begin to ask questions on how our money is being used to prosecute matters because some of us are ignorant that Nigeria spends money in prosecuting cases.
“We are saying that we are ready, but the people prosecuting are saying they are not ready. They are pleading for an adjourned date. They did not come with any of their witnesses.
“Remember, they left the courts in town and decided to come to Kuje. We want Nigerians to follow this matter up.”
Background To The Arrests
Sowore, Ejimakor, Nnamdi Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and 11 other protesters were arrested by the Nigeria Police Force during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja on October 20, 2025.
The group was reportedly teargassed and beaten before being taken to the Criminal Investigation Department unit of the State Police Command and detained overnight at the now‑notorious SARS cell known as the Abattoir.
The following day, they were transported to Kuje Magistrate Court without their lawyer and remanded by Senior Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id, who, sources claim, coordinated with the police to keep them in custody.
They were arraigned on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbing public peace.
Magistrate Sai’id later granted each defendant bail of ₦500,000, conditional on presenting a verified National Identification Number (NIN), alongside three‑year tax clearance certificates and passports.
After meeting these conditions, Sowore and the other defendants were released from Kuje Prison.