Nnamdi Kanu, the imprisoned leader of the organisation, has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government and Southeast governors for designating the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as terrorists.
The IPOB leader is requesting a ruling that “self-determination is not a crime and, thus, cannot be held on to arrest, jail, and prosecute him and the members of IPOB,” according to the lawsuit.
He also filed lawsuits against the Minister of Justice and the Federal Attorney General.
The case was brought before the Enugu State High Court, and the petitioner pleaded with the judge to prevent the respondents from moving through with “any criminal prosecutions of the Applicant and members of IPOB on the basis of the abovementioned proscription of IPOB and its classification as a terrorist outfit.”
The lawsuit was filed pursuant to Order II Rules 1 and 2 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, Section 42 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), Articles 2, 3, and 19 and 20 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement Act), and under the jurisdiction of the Court as preserved by Sections 6 and 46 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended).
According to Kanu, section 42 of the 1999 constitution, as amended, and articles 2, 3, and 19 and 20 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Enforcement and Ratification) Act both make it unconstitutional to outlaw IPOB and classify it as a terrorist organization.
