The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has commended the Awka Federal High Court for granting interim reprieve to Barr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, attorney to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)

“The order yesterday evening granted by the Federal High Court, Awka, in Anambra State, for ‘maintenance of the status quo with a firm warning to all the security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and their agents or privies not to arrest Barr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor pending the hearing and determination of the Originating Motion on Notice’ is very commendable.

“We specifically commend Mr. Justice Quadri of Court 2 for this interim reprieve on the embattled Lawyer’s fundamental rights to life, liberty, personal dignity, fair hearing; personal security safety and security,” Intersociety said Saturday in a statement released from its headquarters in Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria.

The group in the statement signed by principal officers Chinwe Umeche, Esq., Obianuju Igboeli, Esq., and Emeka Umeagbalasi, advised the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abuakar Malami, SAN, to discontinue the trial of Sahara Reporters Pulisher Omoyole Sowore through a nolle prosequi.

“It must be pointed out that Nigerians are not interested in the Attorney General of the Federation ‘taking over’ from the SSS and ‘continuing’ the phantom prosecution of Comrade Omoyele Sowore and others like him facing clear and undeniable state persecution in the country or any part thereof, but to act humanely, humbly and ‘learnedly’, even though grossly belated, by ‘taking over and discontinuing such phantom trials’,” Intersociety said.

According to it, “Despite being grossly belated, the AGF still played to the gallery, went round the circle to compound the issues and postponed the evil day. A saner, lettered, learned, cerebral and democratic AGF would have in the midst of all these national confusions and crossroads, addressed a world press conference announcing the ‘takeover and discontinuation’ of the litany of such phantom trials and apologized to Nigerians and members of the international community; with a firm promise of policy reversal. Even during the country’s military’s inglorious epoch, Abdulsalami Abubakar did same, leading to military exit in May 1999.

“In the instant case, therefore, there is no difference between the action of the AGF and the provision of Section 174 (1) (b). The quoted paragraph empowers the AGF to ‘takeover and continue any such criminal proceedings that may have been instituted or undertaken by him or any other authority or person’. That is to say that there is nothing new in the action of the AGF. This is more so when all the ongoing criminal prosecutions or trials in Nigeria particularly those undertaken by the Federal Government are under the watch and control of the AGF. Without him, none can go on.

“History will never forget and shall forever condemn and be unkind to Professor Yemi Osinbajo and his cohorts who propounded the ‘hate speech terrorism’ in Nigeria upon which the country’s coercive agencies have wantonly cashed in to rain violence, abuses and violations on innocent and defenseless Nigerians, particularly rights activists, lawyers, journalists, writers and bloggers. ‘Terrorists’, ‘treasonable felons’ and ‘insurrectionists’ are not defenseless citizens who disagree with Government using their brains, reasoning, pens, papers and computers, but are those armed persons who routinely and unchecked massacre hundreds of soldiers and thousands of defenseless citizens including mourners, worshippers and rural dwellers, Intersociety concluded.”

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