The Enugu State High Court, presided over by Justice A. O. Onovo, declared the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by the South-East Governors' Forum as illegal, unconstitutional, and null and void.
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Ban on IPOB has been lifted as court awards N8bn to Nnamdi Kanu. Photo: Daily Post[/caption]
In 2017, the South-East Governors Forum, led by former Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, proscribed IPOB activities.
Subsequently, the Federal Government of Nigeria listed IPOB as a terrorist organization shortly after the proscription.
Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB, through his counsel, Mr. Aloy Ejimakor, approached the court to seek the
reversal of the prescription.
Kanu argued that IPOB was an organization composed of citizens of Nigeria, primarily from the Igbo and other eastern Nigerian ethnic groups, professing the political opinion of self-determination.
He further sought the court's declaration that his arrest, detention, and prosecution were illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, and infringed on his fundamental rights. Kanu also wanted the court to affirm that self-determination is not a crime and should not serve as a basis for arrest, detention, or prosecution.
In the judgment, Justice Onovo agreed with Kanu's arguments and declared the proscription of IPOB unconstitutional and illegal,
Punch reports.
He ordered the defendants to pay Kanu N8 billion in damages and to issue a public apology through newspaper publications.
Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, expressed gratitude for the court's decision and emphasized that justice had prevailed. He highlighted the significance of the judgment in the context of the ongoing legal and political issues related to IPOB.
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