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Enugu court frees Igbo youths arrested, detained for months by military

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An Enugu State magistrate court has freed four Igbo youths who were arrested and detained by the Nigerian Army on allegations of being members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The Lead Counsel to the embattled leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said the court which sat on Wednesday at Ogurute, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, struck out all the charges against the youths who had been in detention for several months.

Ejiofor who gave the names of the accused persons as Ifeanyi Ogbu, Arinze David, Uchenna Abah and Stephen Ejiofor, said they were “illegally arrested” and detained at a military detention facility in Enugu Cantonment.

Read also:Adamawa court sentences man to death for allegedly killing girlfriend for rituals

“After hearing our application praying the court to strike out these frivolous charges filed against the accused and after listening to our robust argument on law, as convincingly canvassed by our own Augustine Ezeokeke, the honourable court, consequently found the application to be meritorious and accordingly struck out the entire charge and discharged these innocent defendants. They have now gone home as free men,” part of the statement by Ejiofor stated.

He added that the four suspects were charged to the court following “irresistible legal pressure” mounted on the Nigerian security agencies, who were carrying out the prosecution.

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