The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the January 18, 2018, order by Justice Abdu Kafarati of the Federal High Court, which proscribed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and designated it a terrorist organization.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, a three-member panel of the appellate court unanimously held that the federal government acted lawfully in proscribing the group.
Justice Hamma Barka, who delivered the lead judgment, resolved all issues raised in IPOB’s appeal against the decision, declaring the appeal unmeritorious and dismissing it. The court reinforced that IPOB’s activities posed a threat to Nigeria’s continued existence and the security of its citizens.
This ruling follows the 2017 decision by the Nigerian government to proscribe IPOB as a terrorist organization due to its involvement in violent separatist activities.
The government had cited IPOB’s calls for the secession of Nigeria’s southeastern region to form an independent Biafra, which it deemed a
direct threat to national unity and security. IPOB, however, denied any violent actions, insisting that its movement was peaceful and non-violent.
In 2018, the Federal High Court in Abuja also affirmed the proscription, ruling that IPOB’s actions violated Nigerian laws.
This recent Court of Appeal judgment has now further solidified the legal stance against the group, leaving the proscription intact.