Court sets 12 IPOB members free after 4 years in detention

An Ebonyi State High Court has granted freedom to 12 members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) who had been in detention for four years. The IPOB members, arrested on May 24, 2021, were acquitted on Thursday, April 10, 2025, after the Ebonyi State High Court ruled. Counsel to the cessationist group, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, announced the development in a statement on Thursday on his Facebook page. Ejiofor explained that the 12 individuals are part of the 36 IPOB members imprisoned since 2021. ALSO READ: Nnamdi Kanu confident of April release – criticises Igbo leaders for neglect The lawyer said that, though earlier court rulings had discharged and acquitted them, they were kept in custody due to delays in effecting those decisions. However, things turned around when the Ebonyi State Director of Public Prosecution officially dropped the latest charges against them. “History was made today, April 10, 2025, at the Ebonyi State High Court, as 12 Biafran inmates — part of a group of 36 held since May 24, 2021 —were finally set free in compliance with successive court orders discharging and acquitting them of all charges,” Ejiofor wrote. “This victory follows a formal application by the Ebonyi State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), who, in acknowledgement of repeated judicial pronouncements, withdrew the latest charge filed against these 12 individuals. “It marked a long-overdue respect for the rule of law and a reaffirmation of their innocence, which courts had upheld time and again. “In line with the court’s directive, I personally ensured the handover of the released individuals, an order promptly complied with by the prison authorities. “Our legal team remains relentless and fully committed to securing the freedom of the remaining detainees, who have also been discharged and acquitted by no fewer than four different high courts in Ebonyi state. ALSO READ: You stood up for Nnamdi Kanu despite the risks – Akpabio celebrates Abaribe at 70 “Their release is no longer a matter of if but when, and that moment draws closer by the day. Justice may be delayed, but it shall not be denied.”