A High Court in Enugu has issued a groundbreaking ruling, ordering the Nigerian Federal Government and the South-East Governors to pay Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a sum of Eight Billion Naira (N8,000,000,000) as monetary damages for the infringement of his fundamental rights. The court also mandated the respondents to publicly apologize to Kanu, with the apology letters to be published in three national dailies.
Additionally, the court declared as unconstitutional the proscription and designation of IPOB as a terrorist organization by the Federal Government and the South-East Governors. The ruling was a result of a suit brought before the court by the legal team of IPOB, led by Aloy Ejimakor, challenging the 2017 proscription of IPOB as a terrorist organization.
Justice A. O Onovo, delivering the judgment, stated that the practical application of the Terrorism Prevention Act and the executive actions taken by the respondents, leading to the proscription of IPOB, was unconstitutional. The court emphasized that IPOB, which consists of Nigerian citizens from the Igbo and other Eastern Nigerian ethnic groups, advocating for self-determination, should not be subjected to restrictions based on ethnicity.
The ruling is seen as a landmark victory, affirming the right to self-determination and challenging the proscription of IPOB as a terrorist group. It is expected to have significant implications for human rights and freedom of association in Nigeria
