By Adadareporters
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), weekend, hailed its legal team for their victory in quashing the proscription of IPOB in 2017.
It would be recalled that the Southeast Governors Forum, in a communique read by former Ebonyi governor, Dave Umahi, proscribed IPOB. It was proclaimed a terrorist organization by the federal government three days. Many youths have been arrested since then for allegedly having links with the group. IPOB is founded by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
His special counsel, Barr Aloy Ejimakor, had approached Enugu State High Court, presided over by Justice A.O. Onovo, to set aside the proscription, among other reliefs.
Justice A.O. Onovo last Thursday ruled in favour of Kanu that the actions of the governments in proscribing Kanu were illegal. The court also held that self-determination is not a crime, hence actions of IPOB contravene no law. It also awarded N8bn monetary compensation to Kanu, and granted Kanu’s relief that a public apology be tendered to him in three national dailies.
IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, in reaction, said the judgement absolved IPOB of illegal proscription. He added that IPOB cases had exposed the weaknesses of Nigeria’s judiciary.
Our correspondent reports that a high court in Umuahia earlier ruled that Kanu did not jump bail, with compensation granted him against the federal government.
Powerful commended the IPOB legal team for their legal astuteness and also being resolute and focused in their legal services.
According to him, “IPOB lawyers are men and women who understand the law, not quota system lawyers. They have been defeating the Nigeria government in their own courts.
“That is the reason the Federal Government of Nigeria has been running away from defending the black market proscription order of Justice Abdul Kafarati against IPOB in the Appeal Court.
“Nevertheless, the latest judgment from Justice Onovo of Enugu State High Court has made the wicked black market proscription order null and void”, adding that ‘it exonerated IPOB of obnoxious terrorist tags that the Nigeria government wickedly hung on the peaceful movement as a justification for violent suppression’.
He stated, “In the eyes of the law and before the international community, IPOB is not a terrorist organization.
“Those who jubilated when the black market proscription was leveled against IPOB by the Fulani Government of Nigeria using an ethnic biased Justice Kafarati are now ashamed of themselves, especially those compromised media houses linking and tagging IPOB as a proscribed organizations.
“The history book shall be read by the unborn generations that one courageous judge overruled a bigotry judgment against peaceful IPOB who were fighting for the rebirth of Biafra Nation.”
He blamed Southeast governors for engineering the proscription of IPOB, adding that, “The wicked and illegal proscription led to illegal incarceration, extrajudicially killings, and forceful disappearances of many innocent Biafrans by the Nigeria murderous security agents.
“History and Biafrans will never be kind to those behind this devilish act against innocent movement and family seeking for Biafra restoration.”
Ejimakor had after the judgement commended the judge for ‘saving thousands of lives and upholding the judiciary as the last hope of the common man’.
He also commended his colleagues – Barristers Patrick Agazie, Ifeyinwa Nworgu, Mandela Umegborogu, Ozioma Eguzoribe, Edith Chidimma Eze and Obianuju Iloanya – for their astuteness.
