The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organization, dismissing the group’s appeal for lack of merit.
In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel led by Justice Hamma Barka, the appellate court upheld the 2017 ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declared IPOB an illegal entity. The court ruled that the Federal Government acted lawfully in proscribing the group, citing its activities as a threat to national security and stability.
The initial proscription order was issued by the late former Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdul Abdu-Kafarati, on September 15, 2017. The decision followed an ex-parte motion filed by the then Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN). The court had further directed the AGF to publish the order in the official gazette and two national newspapers.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, IPOB, through its legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chukwuma-Machukwu Umeh, approached the Court of Appeal to overturn the decision. The group argued that the AGF misrepresented facts in court and that the ruling unfairly labeled over 30 million Igbo people as terrorists.
However, the appellate court dismissed IPOB’s claims, stating that there were no legal grounds to set aside the proscription order. The ruling reinforces the Federal Government’s stance on IPOB’s status and legal standing in Nigeria.
