Lawyers Speak On Military Declaration Of IPOB As Terrorist Group

While some said the military’s action was in order, others said it was not done in a constitutional manner.

A senior lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES said the instances cited by the defence headquarters in reaching its decision were not sufficient to term IPOB as terrorists.

The military cited the following as its reasons for placing the terrorist tag on IPOB: formation of a Biafra Secret Service; formation of the Biafra National Guard; unauthorised blocking of public access roads; extortion of money from innocent civilians at illegal roadblocks; militant possession and use of weapons (stones, Molotov C0cktails, machetes and broken bottles among others) on a military patrol on 10 September 2017; physical confrontation of troops by Nnamdi Kanu and other IPOB actors at a checkpoint on 11 September 2017 and also attempts to snatch their rifles; attacks by IPOB members, on a military checkpoint on 12 September 2017, at Isialangwa, where one IPOB actor attempted to snatch a female soldier’s rifle. But Mr. Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria disagreed with the military’s position on the matter.

“I do not believe the instances cited by the Defence Headquarters to justify declaring IPOB a terrorist organization,” he said. “The last time I checked, I can’t remember any of such organisation operating in the country being declared terrorist organisations.

“The herdsmen who go on rampage daily, maiming, raping, killing; those responsible for the Agatu massacre; Shiites massacre, Southern Kaduna pogrom, indiscriminate killings, brazen quit notices’ givers, across Nigeria, etc, have never been arrested, prosecuted, let alone been proscribed and stigmatised as terrorist organisations. “We must surely have and operate two sets of laws for two sets of people in Nigeria. Nigeria, we hail thee. A government should be seen to be fair to all component parts of Nigeria.”