IPOB’s Terrorist Label Confirmed by Appeal Court
On January 30, 2025, the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organization. This decision affirms the earlier ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had declared IPOB’s activities illegal and designated it as a terrorist group.
The appellate court’s three-member panel, led by Justice Hamma Barka, unanimously agreed that the federal government acted lawfully in proscribing IPOB, citing that the group’s activities threatened Nigeria’s security and continued existence. The court dismissed IPOB’s appeal, deeming it unmeritorious.
This ruling reinforces the federal government’s stance against IPOB, a group advocating for the secession of parts of southeastern Nigeria to form an independent state of Biafra. The proscription of IPOB has been a subject of legal contention since its initial declaration in 2017.