Nigerian students to storm Abuja over Nnamdi Kanu’s detention

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has announced detailed plans for a massive nationwide protest tagged “Free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu”, scheduled to take place on Monday, October 20, 2025.

According to a statement issued on Monday by the association’s National President, Comrade Atiku Isah, the decision to mobilise students across the six geopolitical zones for the protest was unanimously reached at an executive meeting held in Abuja.

Isah explained that the action reflects NANS’ commitment to justice, civil rights, and democratic accountability in Nigeria, adding that the student body will continue to use peaceful means to press for fairness and the rule of law.

“Following the resolution reached at our recent executive meeting, the leadership of NANS calls on all Nigerian students to participate actively in the ‘Free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’ nationwide protest.

This movement is not just about one man; it is about defending freedom, justice, and the constitutional rights of every Nigerian,” the statement read in part.

To ensure effective coordination, NANS outlined zonal convergence points across the country ahead of the protest.

South West Zone: Students will gather in Ekiti State and depart for Abuja on Sunday, October 19, 2025.
South East Zone: The convergence point is Enugu State.

South-South Zone: Students are to assemble in Edo State.
North East Zone: The meeting point is Bauchi State.

North West Zone: Participants are to converge in Kano State.
North Central Zone: Students will assemble in Lokoja, Kogi State.

NANS further revealed that ten buses will be allocated to each zone to facilitate transportation to Abuja, where the central protest is expected to hold.

Additional logistics and movement details, the statement said, would be communicated directly to the Students’ Union Government (SUG) presidents by the national secretariat.

The association emphasized that the protest would be peaceful and disciplined, warning members against any act of violence or destruction of property. “Our struggle is moral and ideological.

We will conduct ourselves in a manner that upholds the dignity of Nigerian students while demanding justice for all,” Isah added.

The planned demonstration comes at a time when Nigerian public universities remain shut due to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which began on Monday.

The timing, NANS noted, offers students the opportunity to lend their voices to a broader national issue during the academic break.

The move by NANS follows a similar announcement by former presidential candidate and activist, Omoyele Sowore, who earlier declared October 20 as the date for a protest march to the Presidential Villa to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu