A Federal High Court Judge, Justice Abdu Kafarati, sitting in Abuja, Nigeria, has on Thursday dismissed the application by the Indegenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to reverse the court’s order proscribing it and designating it as a terrorist group.
The Acting Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Abdu Kafarati, while delivering his ruling on the application, resolved all the three formulated issues against the group, and held that September 20, 2017 proscription order was validly issued.
He dismissed the contention of IPOB’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who submitted that IPOB that is only registered in other countries, could not be sued in Nigeria.
The judge noted that an organisation registered abroad could be likened to a foreigner who could be arrested in another country where he was found to have committed a crime.
The judge also held that the issuance of the proscription order by him in the chambers following an ex parte application was in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention Act.
The judge awarded the sum of N500 as cost against IPOB.