In Owerri, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has claimed that 83 of its members are still being held in correctional facilities across northern Nigeria, days after four Biafran activists were released from the Department of State Services (DSS) after nearly four years in custody.
Spokesperson Emma Powerful said the release of the four men was “not the end of the matter” and warned that it should not be mistaken for a resolution of what IPOB calls a national injustice. The group noted that the four were freed after a long period of detention, but that many more remain imprisoned.
IPOB’s legal team has identified 83 Biafrans who were secretly transferred from military custody at Wawa Barracks in Kainji, Niger State, and are now held in correctional facilities in Kuje, Keffi and Suleja. The lawyers have formally communicated the names of their legal representatives to the Office of the Attorney‑General of the Federation, while the group says additional detainees, some serving life sentences, are still unaccounted for.
“This is not law enforcement. It is the criminalisation of an entire people through the abuse of state power,” the statement read. IPOB criticised the legal basis for the proscription of its organization, arguing that it was issued through a civil ex parte process that cannot confer criminal liability. The group also said the proscription lacked the President’s statutory approval required by Section 2(1)(c) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2013, and cited the ruling in MultiChoice Nigeria Ltd v. FCCPC to highlight what it sees as judicial double standards.
IPOB highlighted a pending appeal before the Supreme Court that challenges the legality of the proscription and the status of the organization. “No Biafran should be serving a life sentence merely because the government has labelled him an IPOB member. The prosecution must prove a legally defined offence against each individual,” the group said.
The organisation has called on the United Nations, the United States Government and the European Union to intervene immediately against what it describes as a “kangaroo judicial system” operating against Biafrans. IPOB demands that the Nigerian government account for the 83 identified detainees in Keffi, Suleja and Kuje, as well as all other Biafrans in custody, including those held at the Wawa military facility.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>