…Urge Peaceful, Massive Participation on October 20
By Steve Oko
Support for the planned peaceful march to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, initiated by rights activist Omoyele Sowore to demand the unconditional release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has continued to grow, with the Ndigbo World Union (NWU) and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) declaring full support for the initiative.
In separate statements, both groups described the October 20, 2025, march as a legitimate and nonviolent call for justice, urging Nigerians—particularly Igbo groups and students across the country—to participate peacefully and in large numbers.
The Ndigbo World Union, in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Hon. Benjamin Nwankwo, and Secretary, Chief Charles Edemuzor, called on Ndigbo at home and abroad to fully identify with what it described as a “moral pilgrimage of conscience.”
The group said Kanu’s continued detention “is a stain on the conscience of any nation that claims to practice democracy and justice.”
“Kanu remains the pre-eminent freedom fighter of Africa, a man illegally renditioned and unjustly detained in violation of both Nigerian law and international conventions,” the statement read.
“This historic peaceful march to Aso Rock is not a protest of violence but a moral call for Nigeria to return to justice, humanity, and the rule of law.”
Commending Sowore, Hon. Obi Aguocha, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, and others supporting the initiative, the group urged Igbo political leaders, including members of the Abia State House of Assembly, to identify with the movement.
“Let every Igbo union, student body, market association, church, town union, and diaspora chapter mobilize peacefully and massively. Let our presence be a testimony that we have not abandoned our own,” the group added.
The NWU, however, cautioned participants to maintain discipline and avoid any form of violence or provocation, warning against infiltration by mischief-makers.
“We must uphold peaceful comportment throughout this campaign. Let our chants be songs of peace; let our banners proclaim justice; let our feet march with dignity,” the group said.
It also called on the United Nations, African Union, and ECOWAS Court to take note of what it termed a human rights crisis surrounding Kanu’s detention.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), in a separate statement signed by its National President, Comrade Atiku Isah, announced that the student body had resolved to join the march.
According to Isah, the decision was reached at a recent national executive meeting of NANS, which reaffirmed the association’s commitment to peaceful advocacy for justice and democratic accountability.
The statement directed zonal leaders to coordinate mobilization and transportation of students to Abuja ahead of the protest.
“Students from the South West Zone will converge in Ekiti, the South East in Enugu, the South South in Edo, the North East in Bauchi, the North West in Kano, and the North Central in Lokoja before departing for Abuja on October 19,” NANS stated.
Each zone, it added, will be allocated ten buses to facilitate transportation, with further logistics communicated to Students’ Union Government (SUG) presidents nationwide.
“This mobilization is part of our collective demand for justice, civil rights, and democratic accountability. As students, we affirm that freedom is achieved through struggle, and we remain committed to peaceful advocacy for what is right,” the statement added.
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