In a significant legal development, Justice A. O. Onovo of the Enugu State High Court has ruled that the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by the South-East Governors’ Forum is illegal, unconstitutional, and null and void.
The South-East Governors’ Forum, led by former Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, had proscribed IPOB activities in 2017. This decision led to the Federal Government listing IPOB as a terror organization three days later.
IPOB’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu, represented by his counsel, Mr. Aloy Ejimakor, approached the court seeking the reversal of the proscription. Kanu argued that IPOB was composed of Nigerian citizens from the Igbo and other eastern Nigerian ethnic groups, professing the political opinion of self-determination.
Kanu requested the court to declare the proscription illegal and sought a declaration that “self-determination is not a crime and thus cannot be used as a basis to arrest, detain, and prosecute the applicant.”
In his judgment, Justice Onovo concurred with Kanu’s arguments and declared the proscription of IPOB unconstitutional and illegal. He further ordered the defendants to pay Nnamdi Kanu N8 billion in damages and to issue a public apology to him through newspaper publications.
Following the judgment, Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Mr. Aloy Ejimakor, expressed his gratitude and commended the court for upholding justice in the matter. He noted that the ruling reaffirmed the faith of the common man in the judiciary and had the potential to positively impact the lives of many individuals.
This court decision is likely to have far-reaching implications, with discussions and debates around issues of self-determination and proscription continuing in the public sphere.