Appeal Court upholds IPOB’s proscription as terrorist organisation

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the 2018 ruling by the Federal High Court, which proscribed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and classified it as a terrorist organisation.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, a three-member panel of the appellate court ruled unanimously that the federal government acted within the law in banning the group. The court stated that IPOB’s activities posed a threat to national security and the unity of the country.

In the lead judgment, Justice Hamma Barka dismissed IPOB’s appeal, ruling that it lacked merit and affirming the decision of Justice Abdu Kafarati, who issued the proscription order on January 18, 2018.