IPOB accuses Abuja Court of weaponising judiciary against Igbos over alleged member’s 20-year sentence

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the Federal High Court in Abuja of “weaponisation” against the Igbos after it sentenced 48-year-old Paul Okechukwu to 20 years in prison over alleged membership of the separatist group, Sahara Reporters reports.

In a statement issued on Friday by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB described the development as “a disgrace to constitutional governance.” The group argued the conviction punished political association rather than any proven act of violence, claiming the prosecution withdrew a count alleging an attack. It said: “Twenty years in prison is not an abstract legal exercise. It is two decades stolen from a man’s life, his family, and his humanity.”

IPOB alleged Okechukwu was convicted under a section of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act 2013, which it claimed was repealed. It said: “Section 36(12) of the 1999 Constitution strictly prohibits convicting any human being under a non-existent written law.” It urged detainees to demand independent counsel.