The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, has affirmed the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, as a terrorist organisation.
The appellate court, in a unanimous decision, affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which proscribed IPOB.
The court held that it found no reason to set aside the order the Federal Government got against the group.
According to the court, the federal government acted lawfully by proscribing the organisation whose activities threatened the nation’s security and continued existence.
It resolved all the issues against IPOB and dismissed its appeal for want of merit.
Former Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdul Abdu-Kafarati, had in a ruling he delivered on September 15, 2017, proscribed the activities of the IPOB in Nigeria.
The proscription order followed an ex-parte motion the former Attorney-General of Federation Abubakar Malami, filed on behalf of the Federal Government.
Specifically, Justice Kafafati declared as illegal, all activities of the group, particularly in the South-east and South-South regions of the country.
He further restrained “any person or group of persons from participating in any of the group’s activities”.
The Judge directed the AGF to ensure that he published the proscription order in the official gazette, as well as in two national dailies.
In a follow-up ruling on January 22, 2018, the court dismissed a motion IPOB filed to challenge the legal validity of the proscription order which it said was surreptitiously obtained by the AGF.
Dissatisfied with the decisions, the IPOB approached the appellate court to set them aside.
