The group also demanded the immediate resignation of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the unconditional release of all peaceful protesters arrested during the demonstration.

The Edo State Civil Society Coalition for Human Rights has lauded human rights activist Omoyele Sowore for what it described as his “indomitable courage” during the Free Nnamdi Kanu protest held in Abuja on October 20, 2025.

The group also demanded the immediate resignation of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the unconditional release of all peaceful protesters arrested during the demonstration.

In a statement signed by its Coordinator General, Marxist Kola Edokpayi, and Secretary General, Comrade Aghatise Raphael, the coalition commended Sowore’s leadership and resilience, describing him as a symbol of democratic defiance.

"The Edo State Civil Society Coalition For Human Rights solemnly commends the prodigious valour and democratic steadfastness of Omoyele Sowore, whose audacious and charismatic leadership during the Free Nnamdi Kanu Protest in Abuja on October 20th, 2025, embodies the very apotheosis of civic heroism," the group said.

"In the face of systemic intimidation, pernicious threats, and despotic coercion, Sowore’s resolute defiance reaffirmed that conscience remains the citadel of liberty and that the spirit of resistance can never be extinguished by tyranny and brute force."

The group, however, condemned what it termed “state-orchestrated brutality” by the Nigeria Police Force, saying the use of teargas and violence against unarmed citizens evoked memories of the military dictatorship under General Sani Abacha.

"Conversely, we issue an unequivocal denunciation of the Nigerian Police Force, whose atrocious and unconscionable deployment of teargas, brutality, and coercive armament against unarmed citizens reminded us of the dark days of General Sani Abacha where peaceful protesters calling for the release of Chief MKO Abiola from prison and the restoration of the June 12 mandate were arrested and tortured by State Forces," it said.

The statement recalled that"President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was then a chieftain of NADECO, one of the pro-democracy groups that fought for the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria that gave birth to the third Republic."

Describing the police action as a violation of constitutional rights, the coalition said,"The war-like situation act exhibited by the Police constitutes an egregious affront to human dignity and a desecration of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). Specifically, Section 40 enshrines the inalienable right of every citizen to peaceful assembly and association — a right flagrantly violated under the aegis of an institution ostensibly established to defend it."

It further cited Section 5 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, noting that it"imposes a categorical obligation on the police to 'protect the fundamental rights of persons in accordance with the Constitution and other existing laws.'”

“The recent state-sanctioned onslaught against peaceful protesters, issued under the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun retd, is an odious dereliction of that constitutional duty and a monumental betrayal of public trust," it said.

The coalition, therefore, demanded Egbetokun’s resignation, describing his conduct as “deplorably unprofessional, draconian, and ignominious.”

“His continued incumbency is a stain upon the moral fabric of the Republic and a direct assault upon the sanctity of democratic governance," it said.

The statement also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all individuals arrested, particularly “Barrister Alloy Ejimakor, the courageous legal counsel to Nnamdi Kanu,” and “Fine Boy Kanu, the immediate younger brother of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”

"It is profoundly lamentable that in a nation tormented by endemic insecurity, kidnapping terrorism, and economic despondency, the coercive machinery of the State is weaponized against harmless citizens rather than the brigands who ravage our nation," the coalition said, adding that security tools were being misused for “civic intimidation instead of public protection.”

The statement quoted President Tinubu as having once said, “Democracy requires a fair degree of tolerance for harsh words and stinging insults… We dare not seek silence because the imposed silence of repressed voices breeds chaos and ill-will, not the harmonics of democracy in the long term.”

"If these words still echo with integrity, then the Nigerian State must align its actions with its rhetoric. The deliberate silencing of civic voices is antithetical to democracy and inimical to the progress of a free society," the group noted.

Quoting the Latin maxim, it added: “Vox populi, vox Dei — the voice of the people is the voice of God. To suppress that voice is to defy divine justice and erode the very soul of the nation."

The coalition called on the international community and human rights organisations to “raise their collective voices against this crescendo of state-sponsored repression,” urging Nigeria to “reclaim her moral compass, restore her constitutional conscience, and reaffirm her commitment to the immutable principles of justice, equity, and liberty — for a nation that silences its people ultimately silences its own destiny.”