A federal high court sitting in Abuja discharged seven members of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB), who had been illegally detained since 2022. The court equally ruled that a compensation of 130 million naira be paid to them, for the illegal arrest and detention
when reporters visited the families of some of the freed members, the noise in the area was defining because of jubilation and celebration.
A relative who does not want his name in print said that the reason for the elaborate jubilation and celebration is that finally, ” justice has been served to the innocent members of the group have been in detention for over 2 years”.
Kanu’s counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said the persons granted freedom were being illegally held in various detention facilities of the security agencies, and those facing one form of charge or the other.
Ejiofor in a statement obtained by The Press on Thursday said Justice M.O. Olajuwon of a Federal High Court in Abuja- in charge with No: FHC/ABJ/CR/475/2021, between the Federal Government and Maria Ezediaro – discharged her “of all frivolous criminal allegation/charge brought against her before the court.”
This is coming on the hills of reports that members of the indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB), are seeking a meeting with the federal government to dialogue on their exit from Nigeria.
Mr. Emma powerful the spokesperson of the group stated that the group is ready for a dialogue with the government’, but they maintain that the dialogue should be monitored by the United Nations through a ‘referendum’
Mr, Powerful equally stated that the group has lost over 5 thousand of their members, with properties worth more than 1 billion dollars destroyed by Nigerian security agents.
Over 200 members of IPOB are still in detention. The Nigerian Government has consistently, and illegally arrested members of the group accusing them of orchestrating insecurity in the south east.
The supreme court of Nigeria has now fixed 15th of December,2023 for judgement on Nnamdi Kanu’s case. Kanu has has been in detention since 2021 following his illegal arrest in Kenya by agents of the Nigerian government.
SOURCE: Abuja Today
IMAGE: Naijanews
