IPOB calls for release of detained Igbos

The banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called for the release of Igbo people who are unlawfully detained across Nigeria.

IPOB wants the South-east and some areas in the South-south to break away from Nigeria.

IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, made the call in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday.

Mr Powerful said the recent release of four suspected IPOB members, after being held for four years by the State Security Service, shows the injustice faced by the Igbo people.

He said the release of these four men should not be seen as solving the bigger problem of many other members still in detention.

He mentioned that IPOB’s legal team has found 83 individuals who were allegedly moved from military custody at Wawa Barracks in Kainji, Niger State, to correctional facilities in Kuje, Keffi, and Suleja.

Mr Powerful claimed that IPOB’s lawyers have sent the names of legal representatives for these detainees to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

He also said that many other people are still locked up, with some facing life sentences for cases linked to their alleged membership in the group.

The IPOB spokesperson said this situation shows an abuse of state power. He insisted that being politically active or linked to IPOB should not lead to imprisonment without proof of specific crimes.

“Many more remain trapped in a system that has turned Biafran identity and alleged IPOB membership into grounds for arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment. Some are serving life sentences.

“This is not law enforcement. It is the criminalisation of an entire people through the abuse of state power,” he said.

Mr Powerful also questioned the legality of IPOB’s ban. He said the process was done through a civil ex parte proceeding and did not have the necessary approval from the President as required by Section 2(1)(c) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2013.

He argued that the signature of a chief of staff cannot replace the presidential approval needed by law.

The spokesperson referred to a judgement in MultiChoice Nigeria Ltd v. FCCPC, involving Justice James Omotosho. He argued that legal requirements should be the same for everyone, no matter who is involved.

“The same law cannot suddenly acquire a different meaning when the rights of Biafrans are at stake.

“One law for MultiChoice and another for Biafrans is not the rule of law. It is judicial and governmental double standards,” he stated.

Mr Powerful also opposed a 2017 court ruling that labeled IPOB as a terrorist group. He stressed that the government needs to address the legal issues related to that ruling.

“An appeal concerning IPOB’s status and the legality of the proscription is pending before the Supreme Court.

“The government cannot treat those questions as settled merely because it finds the proscription convenient,” he said.

The IPOB spokesperson insisted that no one should receive a life sentence just for being linked to the group. He said prosecutors must prove specific crimes against each person.

He urged the Nigerian government to account for the 83 people reported to be in correctional facilities in Keffi, Suleja, and Kuje, as well as others detained for Biafran activism.

Mr Powerful also called on the United Nations, the US government, and the European Union to step in over what the group calls “violations of the rights of detained Biafrans.”

“The release of the four is not the end of the matter. It is an indictment of the system that kept them imprisoned for four years.

“We demand the freedom of all Biafrans unlawfully detained, and an end to the criminalisation of IPOB membership,” he said.