A Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted 50 individuals charged by the police with terrorism offences on allegation that they were members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
In a judgment yesterday, Justice James Omotosho held among others, that the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), failed to establish a prima facie case against the 50 defendants, among whom are four women.
Justice Omotosho upheld the no-case submission made by lawyers to the defendants and further held that the prosecution failed to adduce any credible evidence to link the defendants with the offences charged.
The judge proceeded to strike out the three-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/8/2024 brought against the defendants by the police.
In the charge dated January 10 but filed on February 9, the defendants were in count one, alleged to have been arrested on or about December 12, 2023, at Umunze Village, Uga Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra by men of the Nigeria Police Force Anambra State Police Command led by CSP Collins Eruogwu, together with local vigilante group acting on credible intelligence.
They were accused of assembling inside a 911 truck with Reg No. XA-139 BDN and engaging themselves in a meeting about and in connection with an act of terrorism.
The police also accused the defendants of having with them 48 black caps, 25 red caps and six orange colour caps designed in IPOB emblem “with various degrees of charms otherwise known as juju, which you admitted to have possessed the spiritual power of disappearing while carrying out your terrorist transaction “
The prosecution also alleged that their “gathering is for the purpose of promoting illegality in order to terrorise the people of Anambra State, and that you thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under Section 12 of Terrorism g, (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja @TheNation
