The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have asked the Federal Government of Nigeria to either reverse the group’s designation as a terrorist organization or appear in court to defend it.
Recall that on September 20, 2017, Justice Abdul Kafarati issued an ex parte order prohibiting the designation of IPOB as a “terrorist” organization.
However, the Biafra-supporting organization spokesman, Emma Powerful, stated in a statement on Friday that the Federal Government had declined to appear before the Appeal Court to defend its proscription decision.
According to Powerful, the IPOB legal team has been appealing the proscription ruling at the Appeal Court since 2018. Nevertheless, the Nigerian Federal Government continues to impede its hearing process by employing a “slow and warped” legal system.
Mr. Promise said, “Ever since the IPOB’s proscription was appealed, the Federal Government and her compromised judges have been running away from meeting the IPOB legal team in their court.
“The Federal Government and her courts are running while the IPOB legal team awaits them in court to continue what they started.
“The IPOB, ably led by our supreme leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wondered why the Federal Government is running away from defending their ‘black market’ proscription of IPOB before the Appeal Court.
The IPOB legal team has been appealing this black market proscription order in the Appeal Court since 2018, but the Federal Government of Nigeria has continued to obstruct the hearing of the appeal by using the slow and distorted justice system.
“IPOB is a peaceful movement seeking Biafra restoration. IPOB, since its formation, has organized the most peaceful rallies across the world, particularly in Biafra territories. Irrespective of our non-violence approach, the ethnically biased former President used one of his kinsmen, a judge, to proscribe this peaceful movement.
“Our legal team appealed the proscription in 2018. Since then, we have been waiting for the Federal Government to appear in their court and explain to the world how a peaceful movement seeking freedom became a terrorist organization.”
“Instead of facing IPOB’s legal team in court to prove their proscription of IPOB, the Federal Government capitalized on the illegal terrorist tag on IPOB, using the security forces to abduct, illegally detain, and most times extra-judicially murder unarmed IPOB members.
“African Union, European Union, USA and Russia governments, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other reputable human rights organizations across the globe should ask the Federal Government and its courts to remove the illegal proscription tag on IPOB or appear in court to defend their actions.”