A proposed national protest aimed at securing the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), organized by Omoyele Sowore’s #RevolutionNow movement, has generated significant legal and regional reactions.

On Friday, October 17, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice M. G. Umar, issued an interim order restraining Sowore and affiliated groups from proceeding with the demonstration.

The court’s injunction followed an application by the Federal Government seeking to prevent protests near sensitive national institutions, including Aso Rock Villa, the National Assembly, Force Headquarters, the Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.

Defendants, including Sowore, Sahara Reporters Foundation, and the Take It Back Movement, were given until Monday, October 20, to respond and challenge the interim order.

Meanwhile, the protest’s announcement created confusion across Nigeria’s southeast, as rumours of a sit-at-home order spread and some schools instructed students to stay home.

Public businesses also debated closure despite no official directive from any recognised group, with supporters claiming the move was in solidarity with the #FreeNnamdiKanu campaign.

The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) reaffirmed its commitment to join the peaceful protest, calling Kanu’s detention a “stinking shame” before the international community.

MASSOB’s National Director of Information, Comrade Edeson Samuel, criticized what he described as a double standard, questioning why the Federal Government engages with groups like bandits yet refuses dialogue with “freedom fighters” in the southeast.