By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has raised alarm that President Muhammadu Buhari has deployed his executive powers to frustrate all its cases in court through delays by way of continued adjournment and postponement.
This was disclosed on Monday in a statement signed by the IPOB Secretary (Media and Publicity), Emma Powerful, made available to Sundiata Post.
Emma Powerful while reminding that all cases involving IPOB members are being frustrated by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), recalled that the Nigerian judiciary and security operatives, especially the Nigerian Army and police, are using the legal system to detain IPOB members without trial, under the guise of adjournment.
He stressed that this has made the Nigerian judiciary and their judges willing accomplices of the APC regime of detention without trial, for those holding alternative views to the government.
According to him, court orders are flagrantly disobeyed by the same government that appointed the judges delivering these rulings.
He recalled a distressing case of Bright Chimezie Ishinwa where a federal high court in Uyo ordered his immediate release, but the DSS refused to comply with the court order. He added that when the case came up again for hearing on November 2, 2017 in Uyo, unsurprisingly and in total disregard for the rule of law, DSS again refused to attend the court and also refused to release Bright Chimezie Ishinwa who is languishing without trial at DSS underground detention facility in Abuja.
The IPOB Secretary, who said it seemed that the Nigerian government has judicial licence to pick up and detain anybody at will indefinitely at the pleasure of Buhari and his henchmen, maintained that this is the worst form of tyranny.
According to him, “by persistently ignoring court orders and rulings of judges, the Buhari administration is inviting anarchy and chaos upon itself”.
He wondered how in a democracy, a government would charge somebody to its own court and when the same court, having examined the case, determines that an accused person is innocent, the government would still hold on to that person in detention.
“What other options are there to seek redress from a tyrannical government such as this if not through a campaign of sustained civil disobedience?” He asked.
Emma Powerful recalled how it was easy for President Buhari to label IPOB a terrorist organisation without due process of law but now unable to prove it in an open court, but has resorted not to come to court to prove his case.
He reiterated that this ugly illegal pattern of total disregard for due process of law is repeated in every case involving IPOB.
IPOB, therefore, wondered why the National Judicial Commission (NJC) would be docile to the point of allowing the legal process in Nigeria to be trampled upon by Buhari regime.
IPOB reminded those who claim to be professionals in the legal field, including the countless Senior Advocates (SAN) that regularly appear on television programmes, to understand that their seeming cowardice in the face of this APC tyranny does not speak well of them or their profession.
IPOB challenged the government to come up with their evidence against IPOB and it’s leadership, “instead running around deceiving the public with false and fabricated stories.”
