Court dashes IPOB hopes, says group lawfully proscribed, tagged terrorist

The hopes of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) to reverse the court’s order proscribing it and designating it a terrorist group was on Thursday dashed by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The court held that the order against the pro-Biafra group was legal.

IPOB had approached the court praying it to reverse the September 20, 2017, order which proscribed and branded it a terrorist organisation.

But ruling on the matter, the Acting Chief Judge of the Federal High, Justice Abdu Kafarati, determined all the three formulated issues against the group, and ruled that the proscription order was validly issued.

The judge sacked the argument by IPOB’s lawyer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who had contended that since IPOB was not registered in Nigeria, but in some other countries, that it could not be sued in Nigeria.

Sacking the argument, Justice Kafarati reasoned that an organisation registered abroad could be likened to a foreigner who could be arrested in another country where he was found to have committed a crime.

Justice Kafarati, who presided in the matter was the same judge who issued the proscription order sequel to an ex parte application filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami in September, 2017.

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The judge added in his ruling on Thursday that his last proscription order against IPOB was in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention Act.

He then awarded the sum of N500 as cost against IPOB.

 

 

 

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