By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Nigerians have taken to social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter), to condemn plans by political activist, Omoyele Sowore, to hold a protest for the release of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on October 20, 2025.
Expressing their reservations, some Nigerians said the date is EndSARS Remembrance Day, arguing that holding the protest on October 20 would divert attention from the purpose of the day, which is to remember victims of the popular October 20, 2020 protests aimed at ending police brutality.
Sowore had tweeted on Thursday, October 9, that the date for the protest to demand Nnamdi Kanu’s release will be on October 20.
He tweeted, “We now have a date for the historic #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest march to the Aso Villa in Abuja, it is October 20 at 7AM!”
In his reaction, @MichaelEpum tweeted, “October 20th is the date Nigerians remember those k:l!led by its government. Apart from this being Sowore’s unnecessary distraction from the present issue, and giving the govt who he works for ample time, it is also a sp!t to the memories of those lost during #EndSARS.”
@DanielRegha said, “Sowore should’ve picked another day for the Nnamdi Kanu protest; not the 20th. Regardless of the cause, Oct. 20th is a day marked as a memorial for EndSARS protest victims. That should’ve been taken into consideration, especially since politicians tried to whitewash the incident.”
Some others also insinuated that Sowore’s choice of October 20 was politically motivated and orchestrated to prevent Nigerians from calling out the government over the events of October 20, 2020.
In his tweet in this regard, @Trigottista said, “ENDSARS Memorial is October 20th, tell me why Sowore wants to ask for MNK release on that same day. Yeah to stop anything you are planning to do against this government on that day.”
@dangbanamanager added, “Sowore scheduling a protest for Nnamdi Kanu on October 20 isn’t coincidence, it’s a calculated move to dilute any remembrance for those killed during the #EndSARS protest. If you can’t see it, then you’re not paying attention; this man works with Tinubu and APC.”
@GeorgeOha34227 wrote, “You championed the ENDSARS protests when many youths were either killed or incarcerated and you kept mute in the aftermath. You did very little to free those in custody while you went on living your life. You still went ahead to start an ENDBADGOVERNANCE Nationwide protests in august 2024 with many youths from the North being imprisoned till date.
“You haven’t done much to free them from their captivity and you act as if you had no hand in it. It’s not always how it starts with Sowere, but how it ends. Sowore will leave you to bleed to death if anything happens on October 20th, so be wise. It’s all a setup as usual.”
