36 IPOB members who were held for two years in Ebonyi State due to many allegations were cleared by the court.
Three dozen members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who were detained for two years in the state on allegations that included murder, have been found not guilty by the Ebonyi State High Court in the state capital of Abakaliki.
IPOB’s attorney, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, disclosed in a statement on Saturday that the 36 members had originally been charged with murder under case number HAB/29c/2021.
The prosecution called six witnesses in all and concluded its case after collecting their plea, according to Ejiofor. However, “we filed a No Case Submission which was duly adopted on the June 15, 2022 and consequently adjourned for ruling.”
According to Ejiofor, the State government surprised them in court with fresh information with charge No. HAB/43c/2022, which was previously scheduled for plea in the same court that was to rule on the No Case Submission. This occurred on the day that the verdict on the No Case Submission was supposed to be delivered.
The accused were charged with three charges each of unlawful association, arson, and firearms possession.
Later, in order to make the second accusation a total of six counts, the prosecution added three more counts of conduct likely to provoke a breach of peace, carrying out a warlike undertaking, and robbery.
Before the decision on the No Case Submission was made, the defendants were remanded after entering their plea to the aforementioned new accusation.
He remarked, “Our No Case Submission was upheld, and as a result, the defendants in HAB/29c/2021 were discharged.”
The prosecution called a total of two witnesses in support of the second charge, HAB/43c/2022, and “we filed a No Case Submission again,” according to the statement made at the beginning of the trial.
“On November 8, 2023, the aforementioned No Case Submission was accepted, and as a result, a ruling was postponed.”
He claimed that the prosecution had filed a new charge against the same defendants, charge No. HAB/59c/2022, which bordered on murder, while the second case was still pending in court.
“As soon as we learned about the third charge, we filed a Notice of Preliminary Objection against it, as it was obviously an abuse of the legal system with the intentional goal to obstruct the administration of justice and keep the defendants in detention indefinitely.”
“However, the Defendants were forced back to prison by the prison officials on account of the said third charge which is coming up for plea and hearing of our preliminary objection on January 18, 2024,” Ejiofor said after the court released the 36 accused on Friday.
Ejiofor stated, “I have no doubt whatsoever that there is more to this strange and unprecedented twist than meets the eyes,” expressing hope that the 36 IPOB members will be released in January.
“Despite receiving a clean health certificate from the court, it is very evident to astute minds that someone somewhere does not want these innocent Biafrans to regain their freedom.” It merely implies that the court system is relied upon to assist in flagrantly violating the rights of the Biafran people.
“It is a matter of time, though we have activated an administrative disciplinary process to ensure that officers in the temple of justice who are colluding in this gross perversion of course of justice, are deservingly punished, for which the details shall remain private.
“We won’t stop until these innocent Biafrans are granted their freedom after the court finds them not guilty, as soon as possible.”