Organization For Biafran Freedom - OFBF

Court sentences police IGP to prison for disobeying court order -Guardian

The Federal High Court, Abuja has sentenced the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, to three months in prison for disobeying a court order.

The order was followed by a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/637/2009 filed by a former police officer, Patrick Okoli who claimed he was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigeria Police Force in June 1992.

A Bauchi high court on Saturday, February 19, 1994, delivered judgment in favour of Okoli and quashed the letter of compulsory retirement and ordered that the applicant be reinstated with all rights and privileges.

The Police Service Commission (PSC) in a letter dated Wednesday, October 13, 2004, directed the then-IGP to reinstate the applicant and issue a recommendation for promotion in accordance with the decision of the court.

Consequently, Okoli is requesting the court seeking an order of mandamus to compel the enforcement of the order of the Bauchi state high court and the directives of the PSC.

The Abuja federal high court delivered its judgment in favour of the applicant on Friday, October 21, 2011. Meanwhile, the office of the IGP appealed the federal high court judgment but the appeal was dismissed.

Justice M. O. Olajuwon on Tuesday ruled that the IGP has disobeyed a court order made on October 21, 2011, and should therefore be detained in custody for a period of three months, or until Baba obeys the order.

The judge said; “It is unfortunate that the chief enforcer of the law is one who has deliberately refused to comply with the same law. It is important to state that obedience to orders of the court is fundamental to the good order, peace and stability of a nation,”

“It is a duty which every citizen, who believes in peace and stability of the Nigerian state, owes the nation and the court has a duty to commit the individual who has failed to carry out the order of the court for contempt, so as to prevent the authority and administration of law from being brought to disrespect and to protect the dignity of the court.”

The court also states that if the IGP refuses to comply with the orders of the court at the end of the three months, he shall be committed for another period until he purges his contempt.

Comment:
Hope it doesn’t take this long for him to be convicted for another contempt of Court and committed to prison for refusing to release MNK.

Breaking: Again, Federal High Court orders Nigeria govt to return Nnamdi Kanu back to Kenya, award him N500 million damages
Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Wednesday, floored the Federal Government as the Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia upheld his suit against the federal government.

The court presided over by Justice Evelyn Anyadike awarded N500 million cost against the federal government.

The Court ordered he should be returned to where he was before he was Illegally extradited to Nigeria
That’s, Federal High Court ordered Nigeria govt to return Nnamdi Kanu back to Kenya

In another development, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has filed fresh 100 Billion Naira Lawsuit Against Nigeria govt for Illegal detention and continuing violation of Court order. The Nigeria's Appeal Court has earlier this month dropped all charges against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu after ruling that he had been illegally arrested abroad. The Appeal Court also ruled that the Federal High Court did not have the jurisdiction to try Mr Kanu.

Stay tuned!

UPDATE ON OUR TODAY'S VISIT TO OUR INDEFATIGABLE CLIENT – ONYENDU MAZI NNAMDI KANU AT THE DSS HEADQUARTERS, ABUJA, WHERE HE IS NOW BEING ILLEGALLY AND UNCONSTITUTINALLY HELD IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, IN GROSS VIOLATION OF THE POSITIVE ORDERS OF THE COURT OF APPEAL:

We have just left the DSS Headquarters, Abuja, after our fruitful meeting/engagement with our ever resolute, indefatigable, erudite, and uncompromising Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Kamanu Ozuzu Kanu.

Onyendu was exceedingly overjoyed with the news of the erudite judgement of the Court of Appeal, a copy of which was also made available to Onyendu. Onyendu could not hold his joy and immense gratitude to our legal team, ably led by the man of the letters – Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN.

He is profoundly grateful to UmuChineke for your resoluteness and prayers, which impacted so positively in this victory.

As you are all aware, upon the delivery of this judgement on the 13th day of October, 2022, the detention of Onyendu in the facility of the DSS, which was strongly condemned and equally prohibited by the judgment of the Court of Appeal under reference, became gravely illegal and unconstitutional as there is nothing whatsoever, legalising the further detention of Onyendu in the detention facility of the DSS. Unfortunately, the breach of Onyendu’s Fundamental Rights by the autocratic Government of Nigeria has continued unabated till now.

But, be assured, UmuChineke, and the entire World that we are aggressively pursuing total compliance with this Court Order within every permissible legal precinct and shall keep everyone updated.
Onyendu’s legal team eminently led by a legal icon, a foremost and an accomplished leading Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome is not relenting.
The Court Order must be obeyed whether they like it or not. No criminal charge of any form can be filed against Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu again, and no indictment of any nature can be taken up against him. We have won them hands-down.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has totally run out of options, and the only valid OPTION available to them now is to obey the Order made by a very Superior Court of record and immediately free Onyendu. The time is now, and it is irreversible!

Today, being the 17th day of October, 2022, the judgement of the Court of Appeal delivered on the 13th day of October, 2022, which unconditionally freed Onyendu, was served on the Attorney General of the Federation - Abubakar Malami SAN, and the Director General of the State Security Service (DSS) Headquarters, Abuja.

The DSS is expected to immediately enforce the positive Orders of the Court and immediately release Onyendu without further ado and unconditionally.

We shall be exploring far reaching legal measures to command immediate compliance with this erudite Court judgement freeing Onyendu, though the details of our strategic legal engagements shall remain private.

Thank you all Ezigbo UmuChineke and remain hugely blessed.

We have won and won them forever. They can never recover from it again.

We move.

Signed:
Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq. (KSC)
IPOB’s Lead Counsel
17th October, 2022

There is heavy protest in Aba Abia state. The Igbo youths are on the street protesting against the killing of Igbo Youths by Ebubeagu state security. Last month 14 Igbo youths who were coming back from traditional marriage were murdered by Ebubeagu in Awo Omamma Imo state. Since the inauguration of Ebubeagu state security outfit by South Eastern Governors thousands of Igbo youths have be targeted and murdered unjustly.

A civil rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), said that no fewer than 1,360 persons killed and rendered 51,000 people homeless in the South-east region in 20 months. The civil rights group said about 150 communities in Igbo land have been raided within the period, and about 1,400 homes destroyed.

Meanwhile Family Writers Press International investigation revealed that Imo state Governor, Hope Uzodinma contracted Asari Dokubo to recruit Kalabari Youths against the Igbos. In a telephone conversation with the Commander of Ebubeagu who is currently on the run, he said the Ebubeagu members are “mostly from Kalabari and Port Harcourt side, and some few other Hausas who are working with Nigeria police.”
The Igbo Youths have staged protest from Imo, Enugu and now Abia state, demanding that Ebubeagu must be abolished.


FWPI.

Home News:

Killing of Christians: US senators accuse Buhari’s govt of sponsoring terrorism, ask Blinken to redesignate Nigeria as Country of Particular Concern.

Over four US senators have written to the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, urging him to immediately redesignate Nigeria as Country of Particular Concern because of the constant killing of Christians by Islamic terrorists in the country.

In a statement jointly signed by the lawmakers which a copy was made available to Newsband, Blinken was blamed for removing Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) in 2021 despite no demonstrable improvement in the country’s religious freedom conditions.

The Senators in the statement further accused Nigerian authorities of restricting and cracking down on religious minorities and detaining individuals indefinitely on blasphemy-related charges.

It however directed Blinken to revert Nigeria’s position as Country of Particular Concern.

The statement reads, “As you are well aware, horrific acts of deadly violence have been committed against Nigerian Christians in recent weeks, including the massacre of churchgoers on Pentecost Sunday and the stoning of a Christian college student. Sadly, such violence has become all too familiar for Christians in Africa’s most populous country.

“Last year, however, you inexplicably removed Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) despite no demonstrable improvement in the country’s religious freedom conditions. On the contrary, the situation in Nigeria has grown worse. We previously urged you to immediately reverse your misguided decision, and we write today to renew our call.

Recent high-profile acts of violence underscore the intense religious persecution that is regularly experienced by Nigerian Christians. On Pentecost Sunday, gunmen attacked St. Francis Catholic Church in Nigeria’s Ondo state, reportedly killing at least 50 churchgoers. Last month, a violent mob brutally stoned to death Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a student at Shehu Shagari College of Education in northwest Nigeria.

“According to reports, some Islamist students were enraged by a “blasphemous” message Deborah had posted in a WhatsApp group, in which she said that “Jesus Christ is the greatest. He helped me pass my exams.” Merely expressing one’s Christian faith has apparently become tantamount to a death sentence in many parts of Nigeria.

“Religious violence and intolerance directed toward Nigerian Christians has worsened in recent years. One report documented more than 4,650 cases of Nigerian Christians who were killed for their faith in 2021. Accordingly, Nigeria earns the dubious honor—for the second consecutive year—of being the deadliest country on earth for Christians.

“We wrote last year that “[n]ot only has the government of Nigeria failed to take meaningful steps to mitigate such violence, but Nigerian authorities restrict and crack down on religious minorities and detain individuals indefinitely on blasphemy-related charges.” We remain concerned that the Nigerian government is failing to protect the religious freedom and basic safety of its Christian citizens.

“Furthermore, as this year’s annual reports from the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and from your own Department make clear, Nigerian government authorities directly participate in the persecution of Christians, Muslims, and even non-theists, most notoriously through arrests and convictions under blasphemy laws. Make no mistake: continued enforcement of state-sanctioned blasphemy laws enables the type of deadly violence that killed Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu and so many others.

“When we previously wrote you, we were met with a response which failed to answer our questions about why the State Department views Nigeria as not having engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom” or even “severe violations of religious freedom.” This is unacceptable, especially because you are required by federal law to consider the
recommendation of USCIRF—which, since 2009, has been to designate Nigeria as a CPC.

“In fact, USCIRF reiterated in its 2022 Annual Report that it was “appalled” at the removal of Nigeria’s CPC designation. Despite public statements from you and other State Department officials condemning the recent bloodshed in Nigeria, the fact remains that the Department still does not officially regard Nigeria as a severe violator of religious freedom.

“The State Department released its 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom on June 2, which starts the 90-day timeline for the Department to make its religious freedom designations. Given the abysmal state of religious freedom in Nigeria, it is incumbent upon you to reverse last year’s decision and redesignate the country as a CPC. The moment demands that you do so without
delay.