Appeal Court ruling, a morale booster for troops to crush IPOB, says Military

The Nigerian military has applauded the Court of Appeal’s decision affirming the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group, describing it as a morale booster for its troops.

The ruling, delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Hamma Barka at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, upholds IPOB’s proscription and strengthens the government’s stance on national security.

The judgment is expected to encourage military personnel to intensify operations against IPOB and its affiliates.

IPOB, a separatist group seeking an independent Biafra from Nigeria’s South-East and parts of the South-South, was officially proscribed by the federal government under former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017. A Federal High Court in Abuja subsequently classified the group as a terrorist organization. However, in October 2023, a State High Court in Enugu nullified the proscription. The latest Appeal Court verdict now reinstates IPOB’s terrorist designation.

Reacting to the ruling, the outgoing Director of Defence Media Operations, Major-General Edward Buba, stated in an interview with Weekend Trust:

“The armed forces applaud the recent Appeal Court ruling affirming IPOB’s designation as a terrorist group.

The judgment is a welcome development that further motivates troops to accelerate actions aimed at dismantling the IPOB terror group and their Eastern Security Network (ESN) affiliates.”