A High Court sitting in Enugu has declared as unconstitutional the proscription and designation of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government and the South East Governors.
The court also ordered the Federal Government and the South East Governors to issue a joint apology to IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu for the infringement of his fundamental rights and to pay him N8 billion in damages.
The ruling was a sequel to a suit brought before the court by IPOB’s legal team led by Aloy Ejimakor, challenging the 2017 proscription of IPOB as a terror organisation.
In his judgment, Justice A. O Onovo held that the proscription of IPOB was “unconstitutional” and that the arrest, detention, and prosecution of Kanu on the basis of his membership of the group was “illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional.”
The court also held that the proscription of IPOB violated Section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution, which prohibits discrimination based on ethnicity.
Ejimakor, in a statement released to the media, said that the court’s ruling was a “landmark victory” for IPOB and its supporters.
“Today, I led a team of lawyers to a landmark victory before the High Court of Enugu State in a suit challenging the proscription of IPOB as a terrorist group,” Ejimakor said. “The court has declared the proscription unconstitutional and has ordered the Federal Government and the South East Governors to apologise to Kanu and pay him N8 billion in damages.”
Ejimakor thanked his legal team and Kanu’s supporters for their contributions to the victory.
