As the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protests escalates in Abuja, BusinessDay Media crew of Tony Ailemen, Tunde Adeniyi, Ladi Patrick- Okwoli and Michael Godwin, narrowly escaped death on Monday, as Police fired teargas at their vehicle parsing the back windscreen.
The teargas was fired directly at the back of car, as the reporter moved around the city center, monitoring the protest.
The protest escalated as another group that claimed to be pro federation government also emerged, late on Monday.
But for the help of the passengers waiting for vehicles at the Ministry of Finance bus stop, Abuja, the reporter would have chocked to death inside the car.
The incident occured at about 1pm at the bus stop, as the BDTV Journalists crew were doing a voice pop on the Abuja protest.
The Policemen who were moving around the city center, first fired a teargas at an elderly woman, selling Okpa, a traditional Igbo cake, by the bus stop, before going after the BusinessDay crew.
As soon as the teargas was fired at the woman, people rushed to help her but this was followed by more teargas, forcing people to hurriedly run to safety, abandoning the elderly woman to her fate.
The policemen then went after the BusinessDay crew and fired the teargas into the back of the car which also injured the photojournalist, Adeniyi.
It took the courageous efforts of the commuters at the bus stop to help revive and rescue the BusinessDay crew and their car.
Before the incident, it was observed that commercial and government activities were disrupted in Abuja’s Central Business District (CBD) as protesters demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), went round the city chanting ‘free Nnamdi Kanu now!’
The protest, under the banner #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, led to restriction of movement and the use of teargas by security agencies to disperse them
The protesters had earlier gathered at the unity fountain, Abuja from where they matched through the city, moving around government locations, including the Federal Secretariat, the National Assembly junction, and Eagle Square.
The situation escalated quickly, prompting the deployment of armed security personnel who used teargas to clear the area.
BusinessDay journalists covering the protest were among those affected.
Eyewitnesses reported that police fired teargas at a vehicle carrying 2 correspondent, videographer, and cameraman.
The vehicle’s windscreen was damaged in the incident.
‘We identified ourselves as press, but the police still fired in our direction,’ one journalist said. ‘They launched teargas at our car, and we had to flee.’