An Ebonyi State High Court has discharged and acquitted 36 Pro-Biafra activists after they spent over four years in detention.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lead counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), made the announcement during a press briefing in Owerri on Friday, September 27.
The detainees, all from Ebonyi State, were initially arrested in 2020 and charged with murder. However, the prosecution repeatedly failed to present adequate evidence during the trial.
Following a “No Case Submission,” the court dismissed the murder charges on September 27, 2022. Despite their acquittal, the activists faced re-arrest under new charges, including unlawful possession of firearms and robbery.
Ejiofor stated, “The court discharged the activists once again on December 22, 2023, but prison officials continued to hold them.”
He condemned this as a blatant disregard for judicial authority. He further explained that even after another acquittal on September 27, 2024, officials cited a new charge before the Ikwo High Court as justification for their continued detention.
“This is a mockery of the judicial process,” Ejiofor lamented, appealing to Ebonyi State Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru to intervene.
He expressed concern that such actions could tarnish the state’s reputation internationally, urging for the immediate release of the activists to uphold justice and human rights.
