Court Clears IPOB Leader of Terrorism Charges, Orders FG to Pay N5m Damages

A Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State, has cleared Chika Edoziem, the Head of the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), of all terrorism-related charges. The ruling, delivered by Justice I.N. Oweibo, dismissed allegations of insurgency, kidnapping, and violent criminal activities previously leveled against Edoziem.

Edoziem, a senior IPOB official ranking next to the detained leader Nnamdi Kanu, had been declared wanted and labeled a security threat in an official government publication. However, the court found this designation to be unlawful and a violation of his fundamental rights.

Justice Oweibo ruled that the inclusion of Edoziem’s name and photograph in the Ministry of Defence’s First Edition of 2024, published on March 22, was unconstitutional. The court determined that the publication violated Edoziem’s right to dignity, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.

In his judgment, Justice Oweibo ordered the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff to immediately retract the declaration of Edoziem as a terrorist and wanted person. Additionally, the court directed that an unreserved public apology be published in two national newspapers. Edoziem was also awarded N5 million in damages for the infringement of his fundamental rights.