Kehinde Fajobi
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday discharged and acquitted 50 individuals accused of terrorism and alleged membership in the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The group included four women.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the Nigerian Police Force failed to establish a prima facie case against the defendants.
He upheld the no-case submission filed by their legal counsel, stating, “The prosecution failed to adduce any credible evidence linking the defendants to the allegations they were charged for.”
Consequently, the court struck out the three-count charge brought against the defendants.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/8/2024, was filed by the Inspector-General of Police. According to the charge, the defendants were accused of gathering inside a 911 truck with registration number XA-139 BDN to engage in a meeting allegedly linked to acts of terrorism.
The police further alleged that they were in possession of 48 black caps, 25 red caps, and six orange caps, all bearing the IPOB emblem, as well as various charms.
It was claimed that their gathering aimed to “promote illegality and terrorise the people of Anambra.”
The charges were based on Section 12 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
However, the court found no evidence to support these claims and dismissed the case in its entirety.