Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Coalition of Northern Groups seeking the removal of Igbos from the Southeast region of Nigeria. The lawsuit, brought by a group of elders and politicians from the North, was rejected due to the plaintiffs’ consistent absence from court to present their case.
Despite numerous opportunities, none of the plaintiffs appeared in court during the proceedings or were represented by legal counsel, leading to the Judge concluding that the case had been abandoned.
Reviewing the case file, Justice Ekwo noted that the Northern groups had not attended court since 2022 and had no legal representation. As a result, he dismissed the case due to the lack of diligent prosecution. The group from the Northern region had taken legal action to request the departure of the southeastern region from Nigeria, emphasizing its completion before finalizing amendments to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
The plea for secession, initiated by a coalition of elders and politicians from the North, aimed to address the ongoing violence and unrest in the South-East, attributed in part to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Within the lawsuit, they argued for a referendum to allow the south-eastern region of Nigeria to decide on their bid for self-determination, urging the court to order relevant authorities to provide a framework for this process.
Despite these efforts, the dismissal of the lawsuit indicates a setback for the Northern group’s aspirations regarding the Southeast region’s status within Nigeria.
Be that as it my, a lot of observers are beginning to wonder what the true motives of the faceless northern group is, and which tribe in the north each member originate from
IMAGE: Punch
