Germany is reported to have convicted four members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who attacked Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, according to TheCable.
They have also served their sentences, TheCable further learnt.
The convictions, which were handed out in August, went completely under the radar but diplomatic sources in Germany told TheCable on Friday that the four IPOB members were prosecuted for physical assault and sentenced to 20 days of labour “without pay”.
The Nigerian embassy did not immediately respond to TheCable’s inquiry for the identities of the convicts.
In 2019, the serving senator from Enugu state was beaten up by Biafra agitators in Nuremberg at an event organised by “Ndigbo Germany”.
IPOB — which Nigeria had declared a terrorist organisation — claimed responsibility for the attack which it said “should serve as a warning” to Igbo leaders “that any day we find them in a public event abroad, they will be humiliated”.
Nigerian government officials later informed TheCable that the Bavaria state police had identified four of the attackers in the course of their investigation.
The Nigerian embassy also mounted pressure on the German federal authorities to bring the attackers to justice following the initial reluctance of the state police to investigate the assault which was captured on video.
The Nigerian embassy source told TheCable that two of the attackers had initially filed an appeal against their conviction but later withdrew it.
“It was only the four persons identified that were sentenced to 20 days of labour without pay. The sponsors were not identified so they were not prosecuted,” the source said.
Contrary to social media rumours and insinuation, none of the four persons or any other IPOB member was deported.