Biafra: IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu must challenge its proscription – Ubani

-Mr. Monday Ubani says IPOB should not be proscribed because it is not a registered body.
-He called on IPOB to counter the proscription in the court of law.

Monday Ubani

Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Monday Ubani has advised the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to challenge the court order on its proscription in a court of law.

Ubani gave the advise on Thursday while reacting to the ruling of a Federal High Court in Abuja declaring IPOB led by Nnamdi Kanu as a terrorist organisation, saying IPOB is not a rgistered body in Nigeria, therefore, proscribing it is a problem.

According to Ubani, “The ruling by the Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday shows that some of us were right when we said that the Nigerian military was wrong to have pronounced IPOB a terrorist organisation without following due process.

“It also showed that we were right when we told the south-east governors that they have no right under the law to proscribe IPOB. The proscription of any organization as stipulated by law is through a judicial process.

“The issue now is if you say you have proscribed an organisation and that organisation is not registered in law, there is a problem. Our laws stipulate that only a juristic person can be sued.

“I believe IPOB is not registered under our laws. So there is a problem because the court has just proscribed an organsation that is not registered under our laws.

Read also: Biafra: IPOB’s activities risks the lives of 11.6m Igbos -Abia Gov.

“If you take a look at the court order, it says IPOB, whereas there is no entity known as IPOB under our laws…This is clearly a complex situation. I think what IPOB has to do now is to proceed to the court to challenge the order.

“Even if, assuming without conceding that IPOB was properly registered under our law, does it qualify to be labelled a terrorist organisation based on our laws and arguments advanced by the Attorney-General?

“As it stands today, IPOB by way of the Federal High Court order, remains a terrorist organization but that order can be challenged and set aside.”