Court frees 4 Enugu youths wrongly accused of belonging to IPOB

From Jude Chinedu, Enugu

The Igboeze North Magistrates’ Court yesterday ordered the release of four youths, who were detained by security agents on allegation of belonging to the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB). The youths are Ifeanyi Ogbu, Arinze David, Uchenna Abah and Stephen Ejiofor.

A statement by the lead counsel to IPOB, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, noted that the suspects were arrested and detained at a military facility in Enugu Cantonment.

He said the army was put under legal pressure to charge the youths before the Igboeze North Magistrate Court, Ogurute, Enugu State, in Charge No: MIE/39C/2022. He said the court after hearing the application filed by Augustine Ezeokeke yesterday, struck out the entire charge and discharged the defendants.

He said: “Upon their illegal arrest and unlawful detention briefly at the military detention facility Enugu Cantonment, and following irresistible legal pressure we mounted on them, these innocent promising young men were consequently charged before the Igboeze North Magistrate Court, Ogburute, Enugu State, in Charge No: MIE/39C/2022, on frivolous, bogus, empty and smokescreen charges.

“Today (Wednesday) after hearing our application praying the court to strike out these frivolous charges filed against them, and after listening to our robust argument on law, as convincingly canvassed by our own Augustine Ezeokeke, Esq., of I.C. Ejiofor & Co., the Honourable Court, consequently found the application to be meritorious and, accordingly, struck out the entire charge and discharged these innocent defendants. They have now gone home as free men. May Chukwu Okike Abiama be praised forever.”