In a major twist, the Federal High Court in Abuja has refused the Nigeria Police Force’s urgent bid to stop the planned “Free Nnamdi KanuNow” protest, effectively clearing the way for the demonstration to go ahead on Monday, October 20, 2025.

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had dispatched police lawyers to court seeking an ex parte order against activist Omoyele Sowore and other organisers, in a last-minute attempt to halt the protest slated to take place near the Aso Rock Villa.

But Justice M.G. Umar of the Federal High Court declined to grant the request, ruling that the police must first serve notice on Sowore before any restraining order can be considered. The judge subsequently adjourned the case to Tuesday for a full hearing, leaving the Monday protest legally unrestrained.

Reacting shortly after the ruling, Sowore hailed the decision as a “victory for civil liberties”, vowing that the protest would go ahead as planned.

“The IGP dispatched police lawyers to sue me in an effort to stop the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest scheduled for Aso Rock Villa on Monday,” Sowore posted on X (formerly Twitter). “But the judge refused to grant the ex parte motion, ordering that I be served notice instead and adjourning the case to Tuesday for proper hearing.”

The planned demonstration, organised under the hashtag #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, aims to draw national and international attention to the continued detention of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, who has been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021.

The police’s failed bid to block the protest was widely interpreted as an effort to preempt a politically sensitive rally near the seat of Nigerian presidential power.

With the court refusing to intervene preemptively, organisers are now legally free to proceed, setting the stage for what could be a tense face-off between protesters and security operatives around Aso Rock and the National Assembly.

The adjourned hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, will determine whether the court will later uphold or restrict future demonstrations tied to Kanu’s case.

Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has faced charges of treason and terrorism since his re-arrest and extradition from Kenya in 2021 — a saga that continues to stir passionate debate across Nigeria and beyond.