As expected, the yet to be confirmed Acting Chief Judge of the Federal High, Justice Abdu Kafarati, on Thursday affirmed the proscription of the Indegenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Presiding over the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Kafarati dismissed IPOB’s application, requesting it to reverse the court’s order banning and designating it a terrorist organisation.
Before delivering the ruling, the judge resolved all the three formulated issues against the group, and held that September 20, 2017 proscription order was validly issued.
Kafarati rejected the contention of IPOB’s lawyer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor that IPOB not being registered in Nigeria, was unknown to Nigerian law and therefore could not be proscribed in Nigeria.
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, the judge opined.
He then awarded the sum of N500 as cost against IPOB.
Legal scholars are of the opinion that IPOB’s ban was illegal and the group would only get justice at the Supreme Court, if the matter ever gets there.
cpcnews.org 