National
Appeal Court Upholds IPOB As Terrorist Organization
By Benjamin Abioye
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The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the 2018 ruling by the Federal High Court that proscribed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and labeled the group a terrorist organization.
The three-member appellate court panel unanimously agreed that the federal government acted within the law when it banned the group, citing its activities as a threat to national security and stability.
Justice Hamma Barka, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed IPOB’s appeal, ruling that all issues raised by the group lacked merit. The ruling upheld the proscription order issued by the Federal High Court on September 15, 2017, under the direction of the then Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami.
The initial court decision declared all IPOB activities illegal, particularly in the South-East and South-South regions, and prohibited any individual or group from participating in them. The court also ordered that the ruling be published in the official gazette and two national newspapers.
In a subsequent ruling on January 22, 2018, the Federal High Court dismissed IPOB’s challenge to the proscription, affirming that the government had followed due process. The group, dissatisfied with the ruling, appealed the decision through its legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chukwuma-Machukwu Umeh.
IPOB argued that the AGF misrepresented facts in his affidavit, claiming that the proscription unjustly labeled over 30 million Igbos as terrorists. However, the Court of Appeal rejected the appeal and upheld the legality of the proscription, affirming that the federal government’s actions were lawful.
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