‘We are not a terrorist group’, IPOB cries out again as Appeal Court hears proscription case today

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has warned the Nigerian government against tagging the group a terrorist organization as their proscription case comes up at the Appeal Court in Abuja on Thursday, October 31.

The warning which was contained in a statement on Wednesday night by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, accused the federal government of manipulating its case challenging its proscription by describing them as a terrorist group.

IPOB also warned that the judges chosen to hear the case must take judicial notice of the antics of the propaganda units of the Nigerian police and army with regards to tagging any killing in the South-East to IPOB and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

The Biafran agitators also debunked a recent report by the Imo State Police Command that operatives of the Command killed a member of IPOB during an attack near the airport in the state, as well as accusing the state police command of doing its own bit to pervert the course of justice by seeking to influence the panel of justices set to hear the proscription appeal at the Appeal Court.

The Court of Appeal had earlier this month, adjourned an appeal filed by IPOB to challenge its proscription as a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian government to October 31 with a three-man panel of the court approving the hearing date after it directed the parties to file and exchange all the necessary legal processes in the matter.

READ ALSO: Imo Police foils attack by suspected IPOB/ESN members, kill one

The IPOB statement reads:

“IPOB is going to court tomorrow to defend the illegal and black market proscription by Justice (Adamu) Abdu-Kafarati in 2017.

“This is nothing new. The police are at liberty to come up with another fake news tomorrow morning through their cohorts in the compromised segment of the Nigerian media.

“If the intention of the Nigerian police in releasing this fake news about IPOB is to intimidate the justices into adjourning this matter again, then they have failed abysmally because the case is listed to be heard.

“The judiciary itself and those justices chosen to hear this matter on 31 October 2024 in Abuja must take judicial notice of the childish antics of the propaganda units of both the Nigerian Police and Army,

“Peddling the lies repeatedly does not make it the truth. These lies against IPOB must stop. The group of persons and their political sponsors responsible for the spate of violence in the East are well known and they have repeatedly said they are not part of IPOB,” the statement added.

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