TheNewsGuru

Tag: IPOB

  • IPOB declares May 30 sit-at-home protest

    The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared May 30, 2018 sit–at-home day in remembrance of the Biafra struggle, victims of Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram violence and those who died in the hands of security agencies in Nigeria.

    In a statement on Friday by its spokesperson Emma Powerful, the pro-Biafra group urged the people of Southern Kaduna, the Middle Belt, particularly Benue, Adamawa, Kogi, victims of herdsmen terrorism in Ondo State and other South West states to join IPOB in the protest.

    Powerful stated that this year remembrance would also be a date to remember those that lost their lives because there was no one to defend them.

    He said: “There will be no human, vehicular or animal movement across Biafraland on 30th May, 2018. Biafraland will be in total lock down. The people of Middle Belt and Yorubaland are advised to join this historic sit-at-home to honour the memory of all that died unjustly in Nigeria.

    “Churches, mosques, synagogues and temples are encouraged to open their places of worship on the midnight of the 29th of May for special midnight prayers in remembrance of all that died as a result of violence. Special vigil will also be held at the homes of select Biafran heroes.”

    IPOB noted that 30th of May is an annual remembrance event initiated by IPOB worldwide to honour fallen Biafran soldiers.

  • Biafra: IPOB declares 40 members missing after clash with police, army

    …demands immediate release of missing members

    The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra has declared 40 of its members missing after having clashes with the army and police on Thursday in Anambra State.

    The group’s Media and Public Secretary, Emma Powerful, made this known in a statement he issued in Awka, the Anambra State capital on Friday.

    He said a combined team of police and army attacked its members, who were returning from a burial ceremony at about 5.30pm on Thursday at Nnewi, adding that after the scuffle, 40 of its members got missing.

    While calling for the immediate release of such members, the group warned that it would not tolerate the unprovoked molestation of its members by security operatives.

    The statement read in part, “IPOB and its leadership worldwide once again wish to draw the attention of the general public and the world at large to the dangerous attacks and arrest of IPOB members in Anambra State last night (Thursday). They went for the burial of an IPOB member who was among those killed last year during the Operation Python Dance II in Umuahia, Abia State.

    “This barbaric attack by a combined team of Fulani-dominated Nigerian Army and Nigeria Police happened at Nnewi when IPOB family members who went for a burial of one of our IPOB family members, Odika Esieme Chukwuma, from Igbo Ukwu in Anambra State.

    “He belonged to the Obosi Zone of IPOB. After the burial, as our people were returning from the village of the deceased around 5.30 pm and on reaching St Mary’s Catholic Church, where they were supposed to disperse to their various homes, they were accosted by a team of security agents and without any provocation, they began shooting at our people.

    “In the ensuing chaos, some people fell down and the buses they were travelling in climbed over some of them. Many were injured, resulting from gunshots from the army and police. Many more were taken away by the army and police to unknown destinations. Some people had their cars seized, others with motorcycles had them taken away from them too.”

    The group said its legal team had gone round police stations in the state to effect the release of its members, but could not locate any of such members.

    It added, “We are putting the world on notice that since this unwarranted and unprovoked attack and abduction of IPOB members coming back from a burial at Igbo Ugwu, our legal team has not located or ascertained the whereabouts of about 40 of our members, who were among those attacked along the Nnewi Ichii Road in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State.”

    Meanwhile, the Anambra Police Command on Friday warned the people in the state to stop associating with IPOB members or face arrest.

    It reminded the people that the Biafra group remained a proscribed and an outlawed organisation.

    The command said it had arrested four members of the outlawed group, according to a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Nkeiruka Nwode. The statement read in part, “The command today (Friday) arrested four members of the group, while other members of the proscribed group fled to unknown destinations.

    “The arrested persons confessed to being members of IPOB and will be charged to court for prosecution.

    “The following exhibits were recovered from the suspects: 14 Biafran flags, metal gong, one small bell, one helmet, motorcycle, Delica shuttle bus, Suzuki bus, and a Nokia phone.”

     

  • IPOB: Produce Nnamdi Kanu for trial or go to jail, court tells Abaribe, other sureties

    Sequel to the prolonged absence of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the Federal High Court in Abuja has asked the prosecution to issue an enrolled order for the appearance before it of three sureties in the trial Kanu.

    Kanu, who is facing trial for alleged treason, was required to be produced in court by his sureties. He has not been seen after since September 2017.

    Justice Binta Nyako had asked the sureties to either explain why their N100 million bond should not be forfeited, produce the defendant or be remanded in prison.

    Although the court repeatedly made the order, the prosecution was yet to serve the defence counsel with the court summons on the matter.

    Nyako adjourned the case for the sureties to respond to the demand by the court.

    At the resumption of the matter, however, a counsel for the sureties, Chukwuma_Machukwu Umeh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said his client had not been served with court papers relating to the order made by the judge.

    He, therefore, made a fresh application for an order of court demanding that the prosecution serves the sureties with copies of the order, as made by the court.

    Umeh argued that responding to the verbal order could render the entire process legally defective.

    The other lawyers in the defence team aligned themselves with Mr. Umeh’s application.

    In his response, the prosecution counsel, Shaibu Labaran, urged the court to resist sacrificing the demand for justice on the altar of technicalities.

    Labaran disagreed with the submission of the defence that an enrolled order was necessary to ensure compliance to the instructions made in court.

    He described the fresh application as a “conspiracy” to set back the matter before the court and demanded its dismissal.

    In a reaction to comments made by the prosecution, Mr. Umeh demanded the withdrawal of the word: “conspiracy,” used by Mr Labaran and urged the court to uphold his application.

    The judge granted the request by the defense, but noted that the application was an evidence of their lack of readiness to proceed with the matter.

    “What is clear is that you are not ready,” said Mrs Nyako.

    “The sureties are to be served with the order of this court: to show cause why they should not forfeit their bond or to produce the defendant in the next adjourned date, with the alternative to go to prison,” she added.

    Recall that Kanu’s sureties are a senator, Eyinnaya Abaribe, a Jewish priest, Immanuu-El Shalom, and an accountant resident in Abuja, Tochukwu Uchendu.

  • IPOB Trial: FG’s first witness testifies behind barricade

    The Federal Government on Thursday called its first witness on Thursday testimony behind a barricade in the treason charge preferred against four members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), at the Federal High Court Abuja.

    The witness, simply identified as Mr AB, gave his testimony behind a barricade, where only the judge, Justice Binta Nyako, the defendants and the counsel could see him as he was shielded from the public.

    Leading AB in evidence, Mr Shuaibu Labaran, counsel to the Department of State Security Services, (DSS), the prosecuting agency gave him the assurance that he was fully protected by the court.

    AB told the court that out of the four defendants in the dock, he could only confidently tell the court about the first defendant, Bright Chimezie.

    The witness told the court that he met Chimezie in 2016 when he was brought to the DSS office for interrogation.

    “My boss asked me to interview him and in the process, he told me why and where he was arrested. He also told me that he is a member of IPOB and that he joined while in Port Harcourt.

    “He also said that he took a delivery imported by the group, a container from Lagos to Ihiala, Anambra to the compound of Benjamin Madubugwu, the second defendant.

    “It was also revealed that Chimezie, in 2016 was in charge of the welfare of the members of the group and he collected money from some of the group sponsors based outside Nigeria for the members.”

    Under cross examination by Mr Chukwudi Igwe, counsel to Chimezie, the witness told the court that he was not part of the officers that arrested Chimezie and that he was only asked to interview him.

    He also told the court that Chimezie, in the statement he volunteered to the DSS, said that when the container he took to Madubugwu’s house was opened on arrival of Nnamdi Kanu, it contained a radio transmitter.

    When asked by a member of the defence team, Mr Eric Ifere if he knew of any law as at 2016 where it was stated that belonging to IPOB was an offence, he answered in the negative.

    Justice Nyako adjourned the matter until May 21 for continuation of trial.

    The Federal Government on March 20, re-arraigned Chimezie, Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, on an amended three-count charge.

    Their re-arraignment was sequel to the severance of their trial from that of Nnamdi Kanu, whose whereabout had been unknown since September 2017.

    They are standing trial for charges bordering on conspiracy to commit treasonable felony, improper importation of goods and illegal possession of firearms.

    They all pleaded not guilty to the three-counts preferred against them.

    Justice Nyako had maintained that although the trial itself would not be secret, the identity of witnesses would be protected from the public.

  • Biafra: Court resumes trial of IPOB members without Nnamdi Kanu

    Biafra: Court resumes trial of IPOB members without Nnamdi Kanu

    The Federal Government on Tuesday filed a fresh three-count charge of treasonable felony against four members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

    The four accused persons are Bright Chimeze, Benjamin Madubugwu, Chidiebere Onwudiwe and David Nwawuisi.

    They were initially facing a similar charge along with the wanted IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

    Following the stalling of the trial by the disappearance of Mr. Kanu in September last year, the prosecution lawyer, Shuaibu Labaran, asked the court to hear the charge against the other defendants separately.

    The request was granted by the court presided by Binta Nyako and resulted in the new charge read before the court on Tuesday.

    The four defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    Earlier, Mr. Labaran read from a sheet of paper which he described as the published version of an online publication, wherein a threat was made on the life of an operative of the State Security Service by IPOB members.

    According to Mr. Labaran, a picture of the alleged operative was taken during the last sitting and used on the social media, with a threat by the IPOB members to “teach the operative a lesson”.

    Responding, however, counsel to one of the defendants, Nnemeka Ejiofor, asked the court to disregard the publication as well as the allegation.

    Mr. Ejiofor accused the prosecution of fabricating the said allegation, stressing that the alleged publication “does not bear any similarities with a traceable medium.”

    In a ruling, the judge warned journalists and family members to desist from taking pictures in the court room.

    “Otherwise, I shall ban the press. I shall also ban family members. I can do all that,” said Mrs. Nyako.

    The judge also warned parties that she would not allow the lawyers to waste time in her court.

    She adjourned the case till Thursday for further hearing.

  • Biafra: IPOB appeals proscription order

    The outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has asked the Court of Appeal to upturn its proscription and declaration as a terrorist organisation.

    Recall that Justice Adamu Kafarati of the Federal High Court on September 22, 2017, made the order while ruling on an ex parte application by Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

    On January 18, Justice Kafarati rejected a motion by IPOB, seeking among others, the reversal of the order.

    In an appeal filed yesterday by its lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor, IPOB urged the Court of Appeal to set aside the entire decision by the Federal High Court, including the order proscribing it and declaring it a terrorist group.

    The group, in the appeal in which it raised five grounds, argued that the mandatory statutory condition requiring the President’s approval, under Section 2 (1) (C) of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013, was not met.

    It also argued that the memo purportedly giving an approval to the AGF’s request for the proscription of IPOB was signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Abba Kyari, instead of President Muhammadu Buhari himself as stipulated by law.

    IPOB argued that “the trial judge erred in law, when he ruled that the mandatory statutory condition requiring president’s approval, under Section 2 (1) (C) of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013, was satisfied, on the authority of the Memo of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation to the President dated September 15, 2017, thereby occasioning a miscarriage of justice.”

    It stated that: “A cursory look at the Memo of the Attorney General of the Federation dated 15th day of September 2017, addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, being relied upon or referred to by the learned trial judge, as constituting the mandatory President’s approval granted before an application Exparte for the proscription of the appellant’s activities and its designation as terrorist organisation, was made to the court, shows that it is a mere memo from the Attorney General of the Federation to the President requesting for the said President’s approval, prescribed under Section 2 (1)(C) of the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013, and not the mandatory President’s approval envisaged under the Act.

    “The purported President’s approval dated the September 18, 2017 addressed to the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice, captioned “Approval of the President, Commander-In-chief of the Armed Forces for the declaration/proscription of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a Terrorist Organization pursuant to section 2(I) (A) (B) & (C) of the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013”, was signed by ABBA KYARI, designated as Chief of Staff to the President, and was not signed by the President as required under Section 2 (1)(C) of the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013.

    “Under Section 40 of the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013, which deals with the interpretation of words or phrases, the word “President” as used in the Act, refers and only means the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and acts specified under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act to be done by the President must be done by the President himself, the Act does not provide for this specialised power to be delegated to any officer, staff or personnel of the President to act, on behalf of the President.

    “The important condition that the President will have to give his approval was neither satisfied by the Attorney General’s memo of September 15, 2017 nor corrected by the purported approval signed by the Chief of Staff to the President.

    “There was no valid approval given by the President in the Memo, in satisfaction of the mandatory requirement under section 2 (1)(C) of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.”

    The appellant argued in the second ground of appeal that “the learned trial judge erred in law, when upon his formulation of issues arising for determination in the ruling delivered on the January 18, 2018, and in consideration therefore, arrived on findings of facts that were grossly faulted by non-evaluation of affidavit evidence placed before the court, and recondite issues of law set out for the trial court’s determination, by the appellant; thereby occasioning a miscarriage of justice.”

  • Amnesty International report shines light on 15 human rights issues in Nigeria

    London-based non-governmental organization focused on human rights, Amnesty International, has launched its 2017/2018 edition annual report detailing state of human rights in 159 countries, including Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru reports the 409-page report, which lists human rights abuses from the civil war in Syria to Police brutality in Kenya, covers all major human rights issues in Nigeria.

    “The armed group Boko Haram continued to carry out attacks, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Reports continued of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and torture and other ill-treatment, which, in some cases, led to deaths in custody.

    “Conditions in military detention conditions were harsh. Communal violence occurred across the country. Thousands of people were forcibly evicted from their homes,” the report noted.

    The report listed the fifteen human rights challenges facing Nigeria to include armed conflict; arbitrary arrests and detentions; internally displaced people (IDPs); lack of accountability; unlawful killings; torture and other ill-treatment, and communal violence.

    Other challenges the report listed are right to housing and forced evictions; women’s rights; human rights defenders; freedom of assembly and association; freedom of expression; corporate accountability; rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people, and death penalty.

    Boko Haram Conflict

    – The group carried out 65 attacks causing 411 civilian deaths in 2017

    – In May 82 Chibok girls abducted in 2014 were released.

    – Sixteen women, including ’10 police women abducted in June.

    – In July 3 oil prospectors were abducted and 40 others killed.

    Internally Displaced Persons

    – There are at least 1.7 million Internally Displaced Persons in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

    – Thirty nine per cent live in camps, while 61% live in host communities.

    – 5.4 million people in north east remain in urgent need of food assistance.

    Arbitrary Arrests

    – The military arbitrarily arrested and held thousands of young men, women and children in Giwa Barracks.

    – By April the military held more than 4,900 in the extremely overcrowded facility.

    – Disease, dehydration and starvation killed at least 340 detainees.

    Torture and ill-treatment

    – Ibraheem El Zakzaky, leader of Islamic Movement in Nigeria and his wife held by govt. without trial since December 2015.

    – Court order for the release and compensation of El Zakzaky was ignored by the government.

    Unlawful killings

    – At least 12 IPOB members were killed by soldiers in Umuahia in Abia state on September 14.

    – There was outrage over activities of #SARS, and after huge pressure police agreed to reform the squad.

    Communal violence

    – Lingering violence between herders and farmers claimed more than 549 and displaced thousands in 12 states.

    – In June dozens of mostly herdsmen and their families were killed in Mambilla Plateau in Taraba state.

    Right to Housing and Forced Evictions

    – Authorities in Lagos, Imo and River states continued forcibly evict thousands of residents.

    – In Lagos state at least 5,000 people were forcibly evicted from Otodo Gbame and Ilubirin in March and April.

    Freedom of Assembly

    – The security forces disrupted, in some cases violently and with excessive force, peaceful protests and assemblies.

    – The police continued to deny IMN, which was banned by the Kaduna state government in 2016, the right to peaceful protest.

    Freedom of Expression

    – Journalists were harassed, intimidated and arrested.

    – On 19 January, police raided the offices of Premium Times and arrested publisher Dapo Olorunyomi and correspondent Evelyn Okakwu for several hours.

    Niger Delta

    – Environmental pollution linked to the oil industry continued to undermine the economic, social and cultural rights of the Niger Delta communities

    – The government took limited steps to address pollution in the Ogoniland of the Niger Delta. But it was slow so far.

    Women’s Rights

    – IDP women reported gender based violence including rape and sexual exploitation, often in exchange for food by the military & members of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).

    – A group of women who were previously confined to Bama IDP camp campaigned for the release of their husbands.

    Human Rights Defenders

    – Human rights defenders continued to face intimidation for their work.

    – Parliament debated a bill to regulate and restrict activities of NGO’s.

    – If passed the bill will establish an agency that will keep a register of all NGO’s

    Death Penalty

    – Death sentences continued to be imposed;

    – No executions were recorded.

    Amnesty found that, in the face of oppression, many were inspired to join movements that delivered human rights victories.

    “As we enter the year in which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 70, it is abundantly clear that none of us can take our human rights for granted,” Salil Shetty, Amnesty International Secretary General stated in the foreword of the report.

     

  • IPOB: Court orders separate trials for Nnamdi Kanu, others

    The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered that the missing leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, be separately tried from the rest of his co-defendants.

    Justice Binta Nyako made the order following an oral application by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Shuaibu Labaran, who noted that Kanu’s continued absence from court since he was granted bail in April 2017 “has frustrated progress in the case.”

    “In the circumstance, the prosecution shall be asking for the indulgence of your lordship to separate the trial so that progress can be made in this matter,” Labaran said.

    Other defence lawyers did not oppose the application.

    Kanu, who, alongside his co-defendants, is being prosecuted on five counts bordering on treasonable felony, among other charges, was absent from court on Tuesday.

    He had not been seen since September 22, 2017 when his team of lawyers and family declared him missing after soldiers allegedly invaded his home in Abia State during a military operation staged by the Nigerian Army to quell the secessionist activities of IPOB in the South-East zone of the country.

    But the rest of his co-defendants were produced in court by prison officials for Tuesday’s proceedings.

    The IPOB leader’s co-defendants are the National Coordinator of IPOB, Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe; an IPOB member, Benjamin Madubugwu; and a former Field Maintenance Engineer seconded to the telecommunication company, MTN, David Nwawuisi.

    Ruling on the application for separate trials on Tuesday, the judge held that she agreed with the prosecution that there was the need to severe the trial of Kanu from that of others in order “to meet the justice of the case.”

  • Biafra group warns South-East governors against cattle colony

    The Biafra Independent Movement, BIM, has warned South East Governors against providing any land for the proposed Cattle Colony in any state of the South-East.

    The group said providing land for colony puts Igbos under the Fulani herdsmen’s siege.

    This was stated by its Anambra North Coordinator, Chief Vincent Iloh.

    BIM noted that the provision of land will be another license to kill more Igbo people, adding that Igbos had businesses and were not funded by the government.

    The statement read, “Biafra Independent Movement says no to Cattle Colony in South East and any Biafra land.providing land for the Nigerian Federal Government proposed ‘Cattle Colony’ will be tantamount to putting Biafrans under Fulanil herdsmen siege and perpetual enslavement of Biafra people of Igbo land.

    “The Fulani herdsmen have been terrorizing the people of South East and other states of Nigeria, when they have no place called their own in such states; one will then imagine what they will do when lands are provided for them for establishing Cattle Colony, only God will save the people of the state where they will be occupying.

    “Giving them Cattle Colony will amount to giving them take off point for unleashing more terror on Nigerian, we are waiting for the South East Governor that will provide land for the proposed Cattle Colony, we will make such Governor realize that he did not elect himself.

    “We will resist such Governor with our life, we will not keep quiet while the life of our people are put into jeopardy, no South East Governor will have his way in providing such land for killing our people and putting them in perpetual fear over their lives.

    “The Fulani herdsmen have been having their ways unhindered in terrorizing states and communities, with the Federal Government of Nigeria turning blind eyes to their heinous crime of massacring people in their homes, they are so emboldened that their leaders openly, proudly and stupidly tell Nigerians why they struck in some states, without Federal Government frowning at such unguarded statements.

    ““We cannot afford to fold our hands while our people are put under perpetual siege and everlasting enslavement in their God given land, Biafrans must exist freely in their land, anybody doing business must provide for all his needs in such business activities, Igbos are mostly businessmen who engage in industrial activities, buying and selling, nobody is providing fund for them to do their businesses.

  • JUST IN: Court affirms declaration of IPOB as terrorist group

    A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday affirmed that the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) was legally declared a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government on September 20, 2017.

    Members of the group had approached the court after it made an order proscribing the group as a terror organisation.

    IPOB had through its lawyers, led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, alleged a violation of its fundamental rights to fair hearing and freedom of assembly by the federal government in its (governments) motion brought ex parte.

    An ex parte motion is one that does not require the participation of all sides before a decision can be taken by the court.

    In his ruling, Justice Abdul Kafarati said the basic instrument in the particular ex parte motion was the approval of the Nigerian president which was stated to have been given in the application brought by the Attorney General of the Federation.

    Consequently, the court said it was of the view that: “the application brought by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation ex-parte was properly brought”.

    He added that the rights of the IPOB members were not abused as alleged by their lawyers and ordered N500,000 as damages to be paid by the applicant.

    The proscription order made by the court in September, came days after the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, went missing from his home in Abia State.

    Mr. Kanu who is facing trial with other defendants on alleged terrorism and other related offences has not been seen since last September.