A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday upheld an earlier judgment which proscribed and labelled the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation.
Delivering his ruling on IPOB’s application, the acting Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdu Kafarati, resolved all the three formulated issues against the group, and held that September 20, 2017, proscription order was validly issued.
He dismissed the contention of IPOB’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who submitted that IPOB not being registered in Nigeria but only registered in some other countries could not be sued in Nigeria.
Justice Kafarati noted that an organisation registered abroad could be likened to a foreigner who could be arrested in another country where he was found to have committed a crime.
He also held that the issuance of the proscription order by him in chambers following an ex parte application was in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention Act.
The judge awarded the sum of N500 as cost against IPOB.
