Court Grants Application To Formally Proscribe IPOB As Terrorist Group.

Cour grants application to formally proscribe IPOB.

The Federal High Court, Abuja has granted an application filed and moved by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), proscribing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The acting Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdul Adamu Kafarati, granted the application in Abuja on Wednesday.

The order also declared as illegal, all activities of the organization. The court also restrained “any person or group of persons from participating in any of the group’s activities.”

He also ordered the government to publish the order in its official gazette and two national dailies.

Justice Abdul Adamu Kafarati while giving his judgement said: “Upon reading through the affidavit I support, certificate on compliance with Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 both sworn to by CPL Kolawole Mathew of the Nigerian Army and written address attached thereto all dated and filed at the court registry, Abuja.

“That an order declaring that the activities of the respondent (IPOB) in any part of Nigeria, especially in the South-east and South-south regions of Nigeria, amount to acts of terrorism and illegality, is granted.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Sunday signed a presidential proclamation proscribing IPOB, effectively initiating the formal process of banning the group in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011.

Section 2 (1) of the Terrorism Act states that “where two or more persons associate for the purpose of, or where an organization engages in: (a) participating or collaborating in an act of terrorism; (b) promoting, encouraging or exhorting others to commit an act of terrorism; or (c) setting up or pursuing acts of terrorism, the judge in chambers may on an application made by the Attorney General, National Security Adviser or Inspector General of Police on the approval of the President, declare any entity to be a proscribed organization and the notice should be published in the official gazette”.

Sub-section 2 goes further to state: “An order made under sub-section (1) of this section shall be published in the official gazette, in two national newspapers and at such other places as the judge in chambers may determine.”

It will be recalled that Last Week before the commencement of the formal the Nigerian Army had earlier declared IPOB as a terrorist organization. The action was however criticized by a number of Nigerians including the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Sasraki who insisted that due process should have been followed before the declaration of IPOB as a terrorist group by the army. He, however, expressed confidence that the president would initiate steps to ensure that due process was followed, thus demonstrating to the world that Nigeria was guided by the rule of law whatever the circumstances are.

However, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, yesterday said the IPOB is a ploy by treasury looters to distract the government from the business of governance and destabilize the current administration.

He said: “This is not rocket science, any treasury looter would do everything possible to distract government. If by any act, God forbid it, Nigeria is today engulfed in war, and is now involved in trying to quell unrest, will the courts be spared, what would be the first priority of government? It will be to quell that riot. So, it is a way of distraction to ensure that government is not focused. “So, it is not rocket science that a person today who has a case in court or almost going to jail will try and cause confusion, he would go and support IPOB.”

Mohammed also said “We have the records. We know IPOB collects money from many people abroad. They collect money from many people in Nigeria, they collect money from some foreign countries, this is clear.

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