Ejimakor: Appeal Court's Failure To Hear Suit On IPOB Proscription, Joining Kanu As Party 'Unacceptable'

By Adadainfo

The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja failed to entertain the suit on the prohibition of the Indigenous People of Biafra and the appeal seeking to join Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a party to the suit.

Kanu’s special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, stated this shortly after the adjournment of the suit to March 17, 2023 following the failure of justices of the court to sit.

Ejimakor described the development as unacceptable. According to him, “Today, the 3-member Court of Appeal Justices failed to come to Court to hear the appeal against the proscription of IPOB & my Motion for leave to join #MNK as a beneficial party in the appeal.

“Case adjourned to 7th March, 2023, which is unacceptable to me & SAN Ume. Stay tuned.”

Kanu is the leader of IPOB. IPOB is proscribed in Nigeria, and the proscription is being challenged in court for not giving concerned parties fair hearing.

Ejimakor had gone to court today ‘to make a case for #MNK to be joined as a named party in the appeal against the proscription of IPOB.”

Kanu is being detained at the custody of the Department of State Services over alleged running a proscribed group, jumping bail, among others.

Ejimakor filed a suit on Sept 5 2022 arguing that: “The ex parte Order of the proscription of the appellant (IPOB) and its listing as a terrorist group violated Kanu’s constitutional right to fair hearing when the 2nd Respondent, consequent upon the said Order declaring and proscribing the Appellant as a terrorist group, arrested, detained and is currently prosecuting the Applicant (Kanu) on charges of terrorism and as a member/leader of the Appellant on six count charges solely predicated on the said Order pending on appeal.”

He further averred that the charges against Kanu were ‘wholly predicated on the said ex parte Order, and upon which the applicant was not on notice’, adding that such ‘violated the applicant’s constitutional rights, including particularly his right to fair hearing’.