IPOB PRESS RELEASE
29/10/2023

We, the Indigenous People of Biafra (#IPOB)ably led by our supreme leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU, wondered why the Nigeria government is running away from defending their black market proscription of IPOB before the Appeal Court.

The public should recall that Justice Abdul Kafarati had, on September 20, 2017, granted an ex parte order proscribing IPOB as a terrorist organization without IPOB’s legal representation. This black market proscription order has been appealed in the Appeal Court since 2018 by the IPOB legal team, but the Federal Government of Nigeria keeps using the slow and warped justice system to frustrate the hearing of the Appeal. Ever since the IPOB’s proscription was appealed, the Nigeria Government and her compromised Judges have been running away from meeting the IPOB legal team in their own court. The Nigeria Government and her Courts are running while the IPOB legal team awaits them in the court to continue what they started.

#IPOB is a peaceful movement seeking Biafra restoration. #IPOB since formation has organized the most peaceful rallies across the world, particularly in Biafra territories. Irrespective of our non-violence approach, the ethnic biased former Fulani Government of Nigeria used one of their kindsmen, Judge, to proscribe this peaceful movement in what is referred to as a black market proscription. Our legal team appealed the black market proscription since 2018. Since then, we have been waiting for the government to appear in their court and explain to the world how a peaceful movement seeking freedom became a terrorist organisation. On every adjournment date, either the Federal Government or the Judges to hear the case will refuse to appear in Court. Since IPOB appealed the black market proscription, the Nigeria Government and her proxy actor judges have never allowed the case to see the light of day. Men and women of good conscience should ask the Nigerian government why they are running away from their court on the case of IPOB proscription appeal.

Instead of facing IPOB’s legal team in court to prove their proscription of IPOB, the Nigeria Government capitalized on illegal terrorist tag on IPOB using their murderous Security Forces to abduct, illegally detain, and most times extrajudicially murder unarmed IPOB members. The Nigeria government has adopted violent repression against peaceful IPOB members so that they can intimidate us into abandoning this Biafra Independence struggle. After the Nigeria government failed to use intimidation, reckless abductions, illegal detentions, and extrajudicial executions of IPOB members into abandoning the Biafra struggle, they have contracted criminals to create insecurity in Biafra Land to blackmail IPOB. Let the Nigeria government and other Western interests realize that nothing will make Biafrans abandon the Biafra self-determination via a referendum.

Irrespective of every state sponsored provocation, IPOB has maintained the non-violence approach in pursuit of Biafra exit from the British failed experiment called Nigeria. Nigeria judiciary should redeem their honor and dignity by ensuring that unjust terrorist tag on IPOB is removed. The IPOB’s self-determination approach has not violated any local or international laws.

African Union (AU), European Union (EU), USA and Russia governments, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other reputable human rights organizations across the globe should ask the Nigeria government and it’s courts to remove the illegal proscription tag on IPOB or appear in Court to defend their actions.

COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL, MEDIA, AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR #IPOB.