A political clash has escalated into a professional grievance as Bayo Onanuga, a key adviser to President Bola Tinubu, has called for a prominent lawyer to be disciplined for participating in a protest.

The controversy stems from a demonstration in Abuja on Monday demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Among the protesters was Aloy Ejimakor, one of the lawyers representing Kanu in his ongoing trial for treasonable felony.

Onanuga took to social media to express his outrage, questioning Ejimakor’s judgment. He accused the lawyer of violating the legal principle of sub judice, which restricts public discussion of ongoing court cases to avoid influencing the proceedings.

“As a lawyer, he should be aware of the principle of sub judice,” Onanuga wrote. He argued that instead of preparing Kanu’s defence, Ejimakor had resorted to “extra-legal tactics” by aligning with “a career anarchist,” a reference to activist Omoyele Sowore who helped mobilize the protest.

Onanuga concluded by stating that Ejimakor’s actions “question his adherence to professional ethics” and called on the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC)—the body that handles professional misconduct—to impose “appropriate sanctions.”

In a new development, Ejimakor later reported that he and other protesters had been arrested and taken to an FCT police command station in Abuja, further intensifying the situation.