The Nigeria Police Force has stated that no live ammunition was fired during Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanu protested in Abuja, maintaining that only tear gas was used to disperse demonstrators who attempted to breach restricted areas.
This clarification was made by the Force’s Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he insisted that what many mistook for gunfire were actually the sounds of tear gas canisters being released.
“I can state authoritatively that no live ammunition was fired today. It’s very easy for people who are not familiar with the sounds to mistake the firing of tear gas for live ammunition.
“It makes the same popping, explosion-like sound, but I can say on good authority that no live ammunition was fired today,” he said.
Hundeyin explained that the police obtained a valid court order on Friday from the Federal High Court in Abuja restricting protests around certain parts of the Federal Capital Territory, including the Aso Villa, Supreme Court, National Assembly, Eagle Square, Fawcett Quarters, and Shehu Shagari Way.
According to him, the police approached the court on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police to seek legal backing for the restriction, which he said was granted in the interest of public safety and protection of critical infrastructure.
“The FCT is very big. You can protest anywhere, your voices will still be heard, and it will still be reported by the press. These are critical infrastructures that need to be protected. It’s our duty as a law enforcement agency to protect life and property, and we’ll take all lawful steps to ensure that,” he said.
Hundeyin dismissed suggestions that the restriction was meant to shield the country’s powerful elite from public dissent, insisting the measure was purely for security reasons.
“Definitely not. This is not about protecting the powerful. No matter where you protest, your voice will be heard. This is the age of the internet and ICT, people will always make videos and stream. Our concern was to prevent chaos, not silence anyone,” he noted.
He also referenced previous protests in the city that turned violent, recalling incidents where public property, including ambulances, were destroyed. He said the intelligence gathered ahead of Monday’s protest suggested possible escalation, prompting the force to take pre-emptive measures.
“We might not be able to go into details of the intelligence, but everything we did was in good faith to protect Nigerians and the city,” he said.
Responding to questions about the alleged firing of live bullets, Hundeyin said there was no evidence to support the claim and challenged those making the allegations to present proof.
“If you talk about tear gas canisters being picked on the floor, yes, I would agree, but I am yet to see any evidence of live ammunition. We used minimal force. Force that commensurate with the resistance we got.”
Explaining further, he noted that police officers had repeatedly warned protesters not to approach the restricted areas, but they ignored the warnings and attempted to advance, leading to the use of tear gas.
“We made it clear that we were going to enforce the court order. We gave enough warning for the protesters to step back, but they were adamant.
“So, we acted in conformity with our standard operating procedures by using minimal force. Nobody was harmed or injured,” he clarified.
The clarification comes amid widespread criticism following reports that police and soldiers used force to disperse the #FreeNnamdiKanu protesters.
Human rights activist and protest leader, Omoyele Sowore, had earlier claimed that both tear gas and live bullets were fired at demonstrators, though no casualties were reported.
Hundeyin, however, maintained that the police acted lawfully and transparently, reiterating that the court order was not classified and could be made available to the public.
He reiterated that the Nigerian Police remain committed to maintaining peace and order while respecting the constitutional rights of citizens to protest within the limits of the law.
