Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has stated that the United States’ decision to label Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) was “inevitable,” citing the government’s handling of protests and terrorists.

Ejimakor’s comments came as he shared a video of himself receiving medical oxygen, which he attributed to injuries sustained after being hit with teargas during a peaceful protest last month.

“The aftermaths of taking 2 direct teargas hits for expressing my legal right to peaceable assembly,” Ejimakor posted on his X account. “When a nation tear-gasses peaceful protesters but romances terrorists in full glare of the public, being slammed as a Country of Particular Concern becomes inevitable.”

The protest, convened by activist Omoyele Sowore, was aimed at demanding Kanu’s release and was scheduled to take place near the Presidential Villa. However, participants, including Ejimakor, Kanu’s brother Prince Emmanuel, and Sowore, were arrested by police in Abuja before it could proceed.

The group was arraigned before a Kuje Magistrate Court and later granted bail. According to reports, during the process of their transfer, police officers used teargas on the detainees.

Ejimakor’s health reportedly deteriorated while in remand, leading to a collapse that required immediate medical attention from a prison medical team. The incident has intensified criticism of the government’s approach to dissent and its human rights record, which now faces heightened international scrutiny following the U.S. designation.