The Counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has revealed that 24 pro-Biafra activists remain in custody at the Ebonyi Correctional Service more than three years after their arrest, despite being repeatedly discharged and acquitted by state high courts.
Speaking to reporters in Owerri on Wednesday, Ejiofor lamented that these detainees have been held since May 2021 on “frivolous allegations,” even though four separate rulings have unequivocally cleared them of all charges. “Their matter will be coming up on the 7th day of May,” he said. “I am very hopeful that they will be released on that same day.”
The announcement follows the April 10 ruling by the Ebonyi State High Court, which saw 12 of the original 36 detained activists freed after the Directorate of Public Prosecutions withdrew the latest charges against them. Ejiofor described that moment as “a long-overdue respect for the rule of law,” noting that he personally oversaw their handover from prison authorities.
“Our legal team remains relentless and fully committed to securing the freedom of the remaining detainees,” Ejiofor added. “Their release is no longer a matter of if but when, and that moment draws closer by the day.”
Human rights advocates have long criticised the continued detention of political activists in the southeast, arguing that such cases undermine Nigeria’s judicial integrity and fuel regional tensions. With the next hearing scheduled for May 7, all eyes will be on the Ebonyi courts to see whether this final group of acquitted pro-Biafrans will finally regain their freedom.
