In a landmark ruling, Justice A. O. Onovo of the Enugu State High Court dealt a decisive blow to the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by the South-East Governors’ Forum, branding the move as not only illegal but also unconstitutional, null, and void.
This legal saga traces its roots back to 2017, when the South-East Governors Forum, under the leadership of former Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, took the controversial step of outlawing IPOB activities. This decision, in turn, prompted the Federal Government to designate IPOB as a terrorist organization just three days later.
The orchestrator of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, did not acquiesce to this proscription. Through the legal prowess of his counsel, Mr. Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu sought redress in court, contending that the proscription of IPOB was illicit. Kanu argued that IPOB, comprising citizens of Nigeria from Igbo and other eastern ethnic groups, merely advocated for the political expression of self-determination.
Kanu beseeched the court to declare not only the illegality of the IPOB proscription but also to recognize his own arrest, detention, and prosecution as constituting an infringement of his fundamental rights. He urged the court to acknowledge that self-determination is not a criminal act and, therefore, should not serve as grounds for arrest, detention, and prosecution.
Furthermore, Kanu implored the court to compel the defendants to compensate him with a staggering N8bn for the physical, mental, emotional, and psychological distress he endured. Justice Onovo, in a resounding concurrence with Kanu’s arguments, declared the proscription of IPOB as unconstitutional and illegal.
The court handed down a consequential judgment, ordering the defendants to pay N8bn in damages to Kanu and mandating a public apology to be tendered through newspaper publications. Speaking in the aftermath of this significant legal triumph, Kanu’s legal representative, Mr. Aloy Ejimakor, expressed gratitude, affirming that justice had prevailed and lauding the judiciary for safeguarding the aspirations of the common man since 2017.
