THE Supreme Council of Elders and the Customary Government of Indigenous People of Biafra (CG-IPOB), have disclosed that the lawsuit instituted against the Nigerian government at the Federal High Court sitting in Enugu which was dismissed last year, has been lodged in an appeal at the Appellate court.
This was contained in a statement marking the new year message addressed to Biafrans by Barrister Emeka Emekesiri on behalf of the pro-Biafra group, calling on genuine agitators to support due process in the pursuit for self-determination.
According to Emekesiri, “We are happy to announce that the case between Biafra and Nigeria has gone to the Court of Appeal following the dismissal by the Federal High Court Enugu. The title of the case is IPOB T/A CUSTOMARY GOVERNMENT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF BIAFRA v FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA & OTHERS. The Appeal was filed on 30 December 2019. The case may get to the Supreme Court. As we have explained before, the rule of law on self-determination by legal methodology is that we must commence the suit in the Nigerian jurisdiction before taking the case to an international court.”
He reminisced on the journey so far in the pursuit for self-determination, using the legal, political and diplomatic methodology, saying that: “In the first seven years of our struggle by legal methodology from 2012 to 2019, we made great impact and achieved great success in the struggle for our self-determination. The struggle by due process commenced with the publication of the book, ‘Biafra or Nigerian Presidency – What the Ibos Want’ published in 2012 where the name, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF BIAFRA, was created and used to sue the Nigerian Government in a representative capacity in the Suit No FHC/OW/CS/102/2012 in the Federal High Court Owerri. The case was reconstituted in 2013 as Suit No FHC/OW/CS/192/2013 which was later transferred to Abuja. The legal entity representing the Biafrans in that case is the human rights organization called Bilie Human Rights Initiative. We are unable to give more information on that case because the vision bearer was removed from the case due to power tussle among some Biafran activists who accused him of dominating the struggle. Therefore, he left them and commenced another case in another way to continue with the vision.”
Emekesiri mourned the passing away of those he described as “the four pillars of the struggle in the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra,” which include Brig. Gen. Joe Achuzia; Chief Barr. Debe Odumegwu Ojukwu; Dr. Dozie Ikedife and recently, the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Elders, His Royal Majesty, Justice Eze Ozobu, adding that “these men fought the good fight and handed the baton to us to continue from where they stopped. The date for the send-off party and interment of the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Elders shall be announced in due course.”
The MOBIN Chairman informed that “the Customary Government of the Biafrans, being the Claimant in the on-going Suit No FHC/EN/CS/103/2019 on Appeal, will hold its Client Care Town Hall Meeting with their lawyers at Awka, Anambra State, on 5th January 2020.”
“We also announce with great joy the recent breakthrough achieved by the Biafran activists in MOBIN in the government of Enugu State. The Governor of Enugu State has found the Biafran activists worthy to serve in his government as his team members in governance and has appointed 4 members of MOBIN into the Board for Community and Social Development. The Board is made of 5 members of which MOBIN members are 4 and the Chairman is a Mobinite. This is in line with the vision of MOBIN that the Biafran activists must be involved in the politics and governance of the States in Biafraland to show the difference and create the prototype of the future Biafra Nation we are seeking to build. MOBIN hopes to reach out to other States in Biafraland to play the politics of Biafra for the benefit of our people.
“We are moving forward. The benefit of the legal methodology and political diplomacy in the struggle for self-determination cannot be over-emphasised. Everything in life has a process. Unfortunately, we have observed that many Biafrans are impatient to follow the due process. They want Biafra today or tomorrow and will swallow all lies and deceptions in the name of Biafra. We have even heard that some Biafra Groups have appointed or declared their Presidents of Biafra and the Ministers of the Republic of Biafra. They have turned the Biafran Struggle into childish jokes and business enterprises and brought ridicules to the Struggle. The use of lies, deception and false propaganda in freedom fighting does not help the struggle but destroys it. Many have believed in the lies and false propaganda and died in vain,” the statement added.
Concluding, Emekesiri reiterated the commitment of the group towards ensuring that there is unity of purpose amongst the various pro-Biafra groups agitating for a sovereign state.
He said: “Many people in the struggle for self-determination have advised for unity among the Biafran freedom fighters. This is a noble call which we have embraced. The Supreme Council of Elders initiated the Unity Conference in 2014 at Owerri, Imo State, but most of the people calling for unity today despised the Elders. However, we shall continue to preach love and unity among the Biafrans with the hope that those who did not accept our message in 2014 shall accept it today.
“We have entered a new year and cannot afford to continue with the mistakes of the past. Those who were promised by their leaders that Biafra would come in 2015 have seen that it was a lie. Those who were promised the Referendum for Biafran Independence in 2017 have seen that it was a lie. Those who were told that the United Nations and the European Parliament have recognised Biafra have seen that it was a lie. Everything has a process and we advise all the Biafrans to be patient and follow the due process of self-determination.
“We have forgiven everybody who offended us and do hereby ask for forgiveness from those who we offended. If we cannot work together because of individual preferences of likes and dislikes, or because of incompatible behaviours and ways of life, we can at least work separately in love towards the same goal without destroying each other, without lying and backbiting against each other and without constituting a stumbling block on the way of others. This is unity in diversity, being different in styles and approaches but pursuing the same objective with love for one another. With this attitude of love in mind, we welcome you to the NEW YEAR of our National Liberation – Our Year of Freedom.”
