An Ebonyi State High Court has released 24 members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB) after spending four years in detention.
The suspects had been facing charges of conspiracy and treason, since their arrest on May 24, 2020.
On July 17, the presiding judge, Justice I.P. Chima, ruled in favour of the defendants’ request to be freed, stating that they should not be tried again for the same reasons, as they had already been cleared by other courts on similar charges.
The decision is based on a legal principle that protects individuals from being tried multiple times for the same offense.
Justice Chima stated that the detention of these IPOB members was unconstitutional and ordered their immediate release from jail.
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Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lawyer representing the defendants, expressed his satisfaction with the court’s decision, calling it a significant victory.
He pointed out that the detainees had been falsely accused and held based on recycled allegations, even though multiple courts had previously declared them innocent.
Ejiofor also urged the government to think about providing support and compensation to the released detainees, highlighting the emotional and financial challenges that their long imprisonment had imposed on them and their families.
He concluded by saying that while justice took time, it ultimately prevailed, bringing an end to their difficult experience.
