Ihe Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State presided over by Justice I.N. Oweibo, has cleared the Head of the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Chika Edoziem, of all charges related to terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, and violent criminal activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edoziem, who ranks next to the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was previously declared wanted and listed as a security threat in a government publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Delivering judgment in the case between Mazi Chika Edoziem and the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff, Justice Oweibo ruled that Edoziem\u2019s designation as a wanted person, terrorist, insurgent, kidnapper, and violent criminal was illegal and a violation of his fundamental rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The court held that the March 22, 2024, publication of Edoziem\u2019s name and photograph in the Ministry of Defence\u2019s First Edition of 2024 was done in gross violation of his constitutionally guaranteed right to dignity of the human person, making it unconstitutional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the charge sheet, suit no: FHC\/OW\/FHR\/29\/2024, obtained by our correspondent on Thursday, Justice Oweibo ordered the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff to immediately retract the unconstitutional declaration of Chika Edoziem as a terrorist, insurgent, kidnapper, violent criminal, and wanted person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further directed that an unreserved public apology be issued to Edoziem in two national newspapers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The court also awarded N5m in damages for the infringement of Edoziem\u2019s fundamental right to dignity of the human person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the many names listed in the security threat publication, Edoziem was the only individual who successfully challenged the government\u2019s designation in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reacting to the judgment, IPOB\u2019s lead counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, praised the Federal High Court 1 for clearing Chika Edoziem of all accusations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ejiofor, in a statement on Thursday, described the ruling as \u201chistoric\u201d and \u201clandmark\u201d, emphasising its significance in the fight against unjust profiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSecurity agencies must focus on proper profiling to identify actual criminals rather than targeting innocent citizens. The real perpetrators of crime operate in known locations, and tackling insecurity requires collective responsibility beyond just the security forces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJustice has prevailed, and we march forward with renewed faith in the rule of law, even as we continue to move forward!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ihe Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State presided over by Justice I.N. Oweibo, has cleared the Head of the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_rishi_post_view_count":152},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","rishi-post"],"rishi__cb_customizer_meta":"","comments_count":"0","yoast_head":"\n