EXCERPT: Court has acquitted 50 alleged IPOB members of terrorism charges, citing a lack of sufficient evidence from the police.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted 50 individuals suspected to be members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) who were charged with alleged terrorism.
On Friday, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the defendants, which included four women.
The judge upheld the no-case submission presented by the defence, stating that the prosecution did not provide credible evidence linking the accused persons to the charges brought against them.
In light of this, Justice Omotosho struck out the three-count charge filed against the 50 defendants.
The case, filed by the Inspector-General of Police and marked as FHC/ABJ/CR/8/2024, alleged that the defendants had gathered in a truck for a meeting connected to acts of terrorism.
The police claimed that this assembly was intended to promote unlawful activities aimed at instilling fear and terrorising residents of Anambra.
They further argued that the alleged offence contravened and was punishable under Section 12 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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