The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned the proscription of its organization by the Nigerian government, describing it as “kangaroo justice” and a gross violation of constitutional and judicial processes.
In a press statement signed by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB accused the APC-led federal government of using “backdoor tactics” and corrupt means to criminalize its peaceful advocacy for self-determination.
Citing a 2017 ruling by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, IPOB said there was no legal basis for its designation as an unlawful group. “Justice Nyako unequivocally found no evidence—none whatsoever—to support the prosecution’s claim that IPOB is an unlawful or proscribed society,” the group noted, referencing Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/15.
Despite the subsisting nature of that ruling, IPOB alleged that the then-Buhari administration secured an ex parte proscription order from another judge, Justice Abdul Kafarati, without giving IPOB or its lawyers the opportunity to be heard — a move the group insists contravenes Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees the right to fair hearing.
“The government failed to achieve its goal through a fair legal process and instead chose to manipulate the judiciary in secrecy,” the statement added. IPOB described the proscription order as “null and void ab initio,” claiming it failed to meet legal requirements for such actions.
The group also criticized the Court of Appeal for upholding the proscription, arguing that no amount of affirmation could validate a ruling “built on an illegal foundation.”
Reaffirming its commitment to peaceful advocacy, IPOB called on the international community, human rights bodies, and civil society to scrutinize what it called a “travesty of justice” and to pressure the Nigerian government into reversing the proscription.
“We will not be silenced by illegal proscriptions or state-sponsored oppression,” the statement read. “The world is watching, and history will judge those who choose to trample on justice for political expediency.”