Remove the “terrorist” tag you placed on us or appear in court to defend it – IPOB tells FG

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The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has asked the Federal Government to remove the tag it placed on it in 2017, identifying it as a terrorist group.

The pro-Biafran group made the call in a statement released Friday, by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, who alleged that the federal Government has consistently refused to appear in court to defend its claims of terrorism on the IPOB.

According to Emma Powerful, the Federal Government had on September 20, 2017, under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, obtained an ex parte order by Justice Abdul Kafarati to proscribe IPOB as a ‘terrorist’ organisation.

He said following the proscription order, IPOB legal team in 2018, appealed the action at the Appeal Court but that the Federal Government has since then, refused to appear in court to defend their proscription order.

He described the Federal Government’s lukewarm attitude towards IPOB and the pending court case as a a manipulation of the “slow and warped” justice system by the Federal Government of Nigria to frustrate its hearing.

Powerful said, “Ever since the IPOB’s proscription was appealed, the Federal Government and her compromised Judges have been running away from meeting the IPOB legal team in their court.

“The Federal Government and her Courts are running while the IPOB legal team awaits them in the court to continue what they started.

“The IPOB, ably led by our supreme leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wondered why the Federal Government is running away from defending their ‘black market’ proscription of IPOB before the Appeal Court.

“This black market proscription order has been appealed in the Appeal Court since 2018 by the IPOB legal team, but the Federal Government of Nigeria keeps using the slow and warped justice system to frustrate the hearing of the Appeal.

“IPOB is a peaceful movement seeking Biafra restoration. IPOB, since its formation, has organised the most peaceful rallies across the world, particularly in Biafra territories. Irrespective of our non-violence approach, the ethnic-biased former President used one of his kinsmen, a judge, to proscribe this peaceful movement.

“Our legal team appealed the proscription in 2018. Since then, we have been waiting for the Federal Government to appear in their court and explain to the world how a peaceful movement seeking freedom became a terrorist organisation.”

The group added that on every adjournment date, either the Federal Government or the judges would refuse to appear in Court.

“Instead of facing IPOB’s legal team in court to prove their proscription of IPOB, the Federal Government capitalised on the illegal terrorist tag on IPOB, using the security forces to abduct, illegally detained, and most times extra-judicially murder unarmed IPOB members.

“African Union, European Union, USA and Russia governments, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other reputable human rights organisations across the globe should ask the Federal Government and its courts to remove the illegal proscription tag on IPOB or appear in Court to defend their actions.”

Meanwhile, a High Court sitting in Enugu yesterday, nullified the Federal Government’s proscription of IPOB as a terrorist group stating that it is illegal, unconstitutional, and null and void.