Reprieve have come the way of 50 surviving local residents of Umunze Village of Uga Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra who were arrested over a year ago for alleged terrorism activities.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, discharged and acquitted the 50 persons alleged to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) engaged in terrorism related activities.
They were 53 local Igbo men and women arrested on December 1, 2023 in Anambra but 50 of them were brought to Abuja to a three count charge while three others had died in the process of detention, the counsel Ifeanyi Ejifor told journalists on Friday.
Delivering judgement on charges filed against them, Justice James Omotosho, held that the Nigerian Police Force failed, in entirety, to established a prima facie case against the 50 defendants, including four women.
Justice Omotosho, therefore upheld the no-case submission of the defendants counsel Ifeanyi Ejifor that the prosecution failed to adduce any credible evidence, linking the defendants with the alleged terrorism offences they were charged with.
The judge consequently struck out the three-count charge preferred against the defendants.
The Inspector-General (I-G) of Police had, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/8/2024, sued the 50 defendants.
In the charge dated Jan. 10, 2024 but filed on Feb. 9, count one alleged that on or about Dec. 12, 2023, at Umunze Village, Uga Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra, while acting on tipoff of Intelligent gathering, intercepted and arrested them by the officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force Anambra State Police Command led by CSP Collins Eruogwu together with Local Vigilante Group.
They were alleged to have assembled themselves inside 911 truck with Reg No. XA-139 BDN, and engaging themselves in a meeting all about, and in connection with an act of terrorism.
Besides, they were alleged to have in their custody 48 Black Caps, 25 Red Caps, 6 Orange Colour Caps, and all were 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 police further alleged that their “gathering is for the purpose of promoting illegality in other 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.