A United States District Court for the District of Columbia has dismissed an application filed by a secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), against the Nigerian government and 16 Nigerian officials.

ALEDEH recalls that the group which has been proscribed by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government dragged 16 Nigerian officials to a United States District Court for the District of Columbia for their alleged direct or indirect complicity in the alleged extrajudicial killings of its members/Biafrans who had launched peaceful protests in the wake of arrest and detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

The officials are Tukur Yusuf Buratai; Lawal Musa Daura; Ibrahim Attahiru; M.I. Ibrahim; Kasim Umar Sidi; Issah Maigari Abdullahi; Solomon Arase; Ibrahim Kpotun Idris; Okezie Ikpeazu; Willie Obiano; Habila Hosea; Peter Nwagbara; James Oshim Nwafor; Hosea Karma; Bassey Abang; and Johnson Babatunde Kokomo.

The suit was grounded on two muscular United States’ statutes; the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA or ATS – the Alien Tort Statute); and the Torture Victims Protection Act (TVPA).

This online medium reports that the suit arose from a long-running intra-Nigerian conflict between the Nigerian government and Biafrans, who are people of predominantly Igbo ethnicity and Christian religion who have sought secession from Nigeria for decades.

Biafra declared independence in 1967, resulting in the Nigerian Civil War, but Biafra was reintegrated into Nigeria in 1970.

The plaintiffs in the case are Nigerian nationals who alleged that the defendants—officials in the Nigerian government, military, and police—brutally tortured and killed peaceful protesters.

On Thursday, July 19, 2018, the United States District Court, agreed with the motion of the Nigerian government and dismissed IPOB’s case against Nigerian government officials.

The court dismissed IPOB’s action on two (2) grounds which includes that the court lacks jurisdiction and that the Nigeria government officials have foreign-official immunity.

IPOB represented by D.C. Attorneys Fein & DelValle PLLC, sued the following Nigerian government officials (Military, police and 2 governors ), seeking hundreds of millions of dollars, at the United States District Court.

The secessionist group claimed that the government officials conspired and agreed to kill Biafran civilians in order to quash Biafra and terrorize the Biafra population, adding that the government officials engaged in extrajudicial killings of Biafrans by brutally torturing and killing peaceful protesters during the Biafran Patriots Day parade of May 30, 2017.

The government officials sued are:

Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai – Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Army,
Lawal Musa Daura – Director General of the Nigerian State Security Service,
Major General Ibrahim Attahiru – Commander of the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army,
Major M.I. Ibrahim – Commander of the Nigerian Military Police in Onitsha and Abia State, Nigeria,
Lieutenant Colonel Kasim Umar Sidi – Commander of the 144th Battalion of the Nigerian Army,
Colonel Issah Maigari Abdullahi – Commander of the 302 Artillery Regime of the Nigerian Army and the Onitsha Military Cantonment in Anambra State, Nigeria,
Solomon Arase – Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force (until his retirement on June 21, 2016),
Ibrahim Kpotun Idris – Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force (Arase’s successor),
Okezie Victor Ikpeazu – Governor of Abia State, Nigeria,
Willie Obiano – Governor of Anambra State, Nigeria,
Habila Hosea – Commissioner of the Nigerian Police Command for Abia State, Nigeria during the alleged attacks (now the Deputy Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force),
Peter Nwagbara – Assistant Commissioner of the Nigerian Police Command for Abia State, Nigeria,
James Oshim Nwafor – Chief Superintendent of Police and Officer-in-Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigerian Police Command for Anambra State, Nigeria,
Hassan Karma – Commissioner of the Nigerian Police Command for Anambra State, Nigeria,
Bassey Abang – Chief Superintendent of Police and Officer-in-Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad for Anambra State, Nigeria,
Johnson Babatunde Kokomo – Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations in Anambra State, Nigeria.
ALEDEH can report that the Attorney General Of Nigeria, Abubakar Malami hired Anthony O. Egbase, (AOE ) Law and Associates to represent the Federal Government on behalf of all the Nigerian government officials sued by IPOB.

However, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state later hired Jude C. Iweanoge to represent only him.

The Anambra State governor claimed he was not aware that the Attorney General had hired Anthony O. Egbase Law to represent him.

Meanwhile, Iweanoge’s motion to strike the action on behalf of Governor Obiano on the grounds that the governor had not been served with the suit was denied, however, the court still dismissed the action against him.

Source; https://aledeh.com/alleged-brutality-ipob-loses-suit-against-nigerian-government-16-others/

The court dismissed IPOB’s action on two (2) grounds which includes that the court lacks jurisdiction and that the Nigeria government officials have foreign-official immunity.


Buh they should have known this na.. Wish them well sha..

FriendsOp

Igbos?!

EOD

Nobody has immunity forever

Nnam...save the fight for another day...