Nigeria’s Federal Government has formally notified the governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom and other foreign countries about the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra, and the designation of the group as a terrorist organisation, The Punch has learnt.
The Federal High Court in Abuja had, on August 20, made an order proscribing the group upon an ex parte application by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN).
The proscription order was published in the Federal Government’s gazette on the same day it was issued.
The US and the UK had indicated that they did not consider IPOB a terrorist group.
Malami, however, confirmed to The Punch on Wednesday that the foreign governments had been duly notified of the proscription of the group.
The minister also told The Punch correspondent that following the formal notification, the Federal Government would be seeking a Mutual Legal Assistance from the foreign governments to cut off the funding of the group and deal with it and its members as terrorists.
Our correspondent gathered last week that the Federal Ministry of Justice, through its Central Authority Unit, had sent separate letters to all the foreign missions operating in Nigeria.
It was learnt that the letters, with copies of the Federal Government’s gazette, publishing the order of Justice Abdu Kafarati of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which proscribed IPOB, were served on a majority of the foreign missions in Abuja on September 27.
When asked to give the identities of the specific embassies served with the letter, a top official of the Federal Ministry of Justice said, “Just think of any embassy you know is operating in Nigeria, they have all been served.”
However, in his reaction on Wednesday, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, lawyer for proscribed group and Nnamdi Kanu, its leader, said the international community had been notified that the proscription order issued against IPOB was being challenged in court.
He said the group’s motion had been slated for hearing before Justice Kafarati on October 23.
Ejiofor stated, “The fact is that each foreign country has its own laws that govern its state. Before now, America has told Nigeria that IPOB is not seen as a terrorist organization. (The Punch)