The Ebonyi State High Court on Thursday ordered the release of 12 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who had been in custody since May 24, 2021.

Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, IPOB lawyer, who made this known in a statement issued after the court ruling said that the freed individuals are part of a larger group of 36 IPOB supporters who were arrested nearly four years ago.

Ejiofor noted that despite multiple court rulings over the years discharging and acquitting them of all charges, they had remained in detention until Thursday’s ruling.
The ruling followed a formal application by the Ebonyi State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

He said that the DPP acknowledged the series of judicial pronouncements and formally withdrew the latest charges against the 12 detainees, effectively ending their years-long incarceration.

According to him, the court directive was carried out without delay, and the individuals were handed over in compliance with the ruling.

“It marked a long-overdue respect for the rule of law and a reaffirmation of their innocence, which courts had upheld time and again,” Ejiofor said.

Ejiofor emphasised that the legal team remains committed to the release of the remaining IPOB members, who, according to him, have also been acquitted by no fewer than four separate High Courts in Ebonyi State.

“Their release is no longer a matter of if but when, and that moment draws closer by the day,” he said.