IPOB
Stop labelling IPOB as terrorist organisation, Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer warns
Dr Maxwell Opara, one of the lawyers to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Tuesday, warned against tagging the group as a terrorist organisation.
Opara, in a statement signed by him in Abuja, threatened to sue anyone or organisation that refers to IPOB as a terrorist group.
He said the statement is necessitated by the need to correct the persistent and dangerous campaign borne out of utmost misinformation, and to reiterate, in the clearest terms, the non-terrorist status of IPOB.
According to him, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is an indigenous socio-political movement rooted in the national and international right of self-determination of its people.
“I, Dr Maxwell Opara, a legal practitiotner, human rights advocate, and public interest litigator, acting under the lawful instructions and authority of my client, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who is presently being held in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), hereby issue this public statement of significant national interest.”
He said IPOB comprises patriotic, peace-loving, and visionary individuals committed to pursuing justice, equity, and a dignified existence for the peoples of the old Eastern region of Nigeria.
“IPOB’s vision is to secure the peaceful establishment of a sovereign homeland where the dignity, culture, and economic potential of its people can be preserved and developed.
“IPOB’s mission is defined by lawful advocacy, democratic engagement, civic education, and international awareness, not violence or terrorism.
“IPOB seeks referendum-based autonomy, not insurrection.
“It promotes self-governance through legal and diplomatic channels, in accordance with international laws on the right to self-determination and under lawful instruments such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“For over two decades, IPOB has operated openly and peacefully across various countries of the world and is recognised globally as a civil movement,” he said.
The lawyer said it is pertinent to note that till date, IPOB has never been designated as a terrorist organisation by any competent regional or international body, except within Nigeria and only through a controversial ex-parte judicial proceeding.
According to him, that proceeding is currently under active appeal at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“It is both unfortunate and legally questionable that the previous administration under the (late) President Muhammadu Buhari engineered and obtained a proscription order via an ex-parte motion, a judicial process that is strange to the legal practice in the country, which also denied IPOB the basic right to fair hearing.
“The said order, obtained behind the back of IPOB, violated settled principles of law and justice, particularly the fundamental rights provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and international jurisprudence on association and freedom of expression.
“That order is currently subject to appellate scrutiny, making any reliance on it a matter sub judice (lis pendens),” he said.
Opara condemned the alleged hasty linking of the recently tragic incident in Imo State involving the unfortunate loss of lives to IPOB by the Commissioner of Police in the state.
“And this has been the practice in the eastern zone of the country. This unfounded allegation was made without investigation, evidence, or credible intelligence.
“It should be noted that since then, the commissioner has failed to make a single arrest, produce a suspect, or initiate prosecution in respect of the said incident, further exposing the myopic nature of his reckless and uninformed statement, which is defamatory to IPOB, who condemned such attacks in totality.
“This statement by the Commissioner of Police aligns with a larger pattern of profiling and blaming a peaceful organisation like IPOB for security challenges that are otherwise uninvestigated or state-driven.
“We must now sound a clear and final warning to all individuals, media houses, broadcasters, commentators, and public officers:
“Any further attempt to label or refer to IPOB as a terrorist organisation, despite the pending legal challenge at the Supreme Court and the absence of lawful proof, will be deemed defamatory and actionable in a court of competent jurisdiction.
“We shall not hesitate to pursue damages and injunctive relief against any person or entity who recklessly perpetuates this false, injurious narrative.
“The dignity of IPOB and, by extension, its members and leadership must be respected in accordance with the law.
“We demand that national discourse on IPOB and related matters be rooted in fact, guided by law, and free from executive propaganda or tribal profiling.
“The misuse of state instruments to silence lawful self-determination movements threatens not only democracy but the fundamental liberties of all Nigerians.
“We stand by our client, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in his continued demand for justice, and we reiterate IPOB’s position as a non-violent, civil body seeking peaceful resolution to its grievances.
“LET IT BE KNOWN THAT IPOB IS NOT A TERRORIST ORGANISATION,” the lawyer said.
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