”My   Travails  In the Hands  of Security  Agents”  –  Omowaiye Narrates ordeal, Seeks  asylum

 Since  September 2017 when Indigenous People of Biafra , IPOB   was declared a terrorist organization some members of this group declared wanted had  continued to tell their tales of woes just they   seek  asylum  overseas to avoid arrest and  alleged persecution  in Nigeria .  One of  the of the victims , Stephen Oluwadamilola Omowaiye ,  narrated  his ordeal recently in a release seen by this medium .

 After discovering  his father  was  helping IPOB members to  flee  Nigeria and  that   he was  funding and supporting his organization,   Stephen  claimed he and his father   Cornelius Olufemi Omowaiye were being persecuted  heavily.

,  ”They found out about my father’s involvemnt , they attacked his church and home in Abia state. They arrested members of his organization and murdered my father” . He said when  the  military obtained the financial documents of the organization  , “they arrested all the people contributing financially to the organization . So they issued an arrest warrant for me as well” ,he lamented

 He   explained that “since the coming of IPOB in the 2014 to date the Nigerian government intensified its crackdown on IPOB members. “We faced systemic violence, with homes being raided,businesses destroyed, and families torn apart “

Since IPOB  was declared a terrorist group  it has been difficult  to convince  the government it is not . An   Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had  refused an application by members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra seeking the nullification of the proscription order made against the group on Septe mber 20.

Members of IPOB had approached the court after it made an order proscribing the group as a terror organisation last September.

IPOB had through its lawyers, led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, alleged a violation of its fundamental rights to fair hearing and freedom of assembly by the federal government in its (governments) motion brought ex parte.

An ex parte motion is one that does not require the participation of all sides before a decision can be taken by the court.

In his ruling, Justice Abdul Kafarati said the basic instrument in the particular ex parte motion was the approval of the Nigerian president which was stated to have been given in the application brought by the Attorney General of the Federation.

Consequently, the court said it was of the view that: “the application brought by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation ex-parte was properly brought”.

He added that the rights of the IPOB members were not abused as alleged by their lawyers and ordered N500,000 as damages to be paid by the applicant.

The proscription order made by the court in September, came days after the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, went missing from his home in Abia State.

Mr. Kanu who is facing trial with other defendants on alleged terrorism and other related offences has not been seen since last September.

Meanwhile  UK  which had failed to  recognize eqially made u turn  and accepted Nigeria’s designation of IPOB as terrorist group, makes in MAY 5, 2022 

 The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has made a U-turn on its treatment of members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) after finally recognizing Nigeria’s classification of the group as a terrorist organisation.

In a May 2022 update of its asylum policy, seen by TheCable, the UK government excluded “violent” members of the group from seeking refuge in England.

Although this does not amount to the UK designing IPOB as a terrorist group, the shift in position is significant.

 It was  reported in April 2021 that the UK was planning to grant asylum to persecuted members of the separatist group, as part of its refugee policy published at the time.

 The policy, at the time, was for asylum to be granted to “persecuted” members of IPOB and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

The UKVI, a division of the Home Office, directed its decision makers to consider if a person “who actively and openly supports IPOB is likely to be at risk of arrest and detention, and ill-treatment which is likely to amount to persecution”.

If the person can prove persecution, then the IPOB member or supporter could be granted asylum.

A few days after the policy notes were published, the UK government took them down following complaints from the Nigerian government.

In July 2021, an updated policy on asylum was seen   with no clear mention of IPOB, but more emphasis on Nigerians fleeing Boko Haram’s onslaught.

The UK said at the time that it would offer protection to “women, LGBTI persons and non-indigenes” who “may face additional discrimination which prevents them from being able to access effective protection”.

The UK government said Nigerians could now claim asylum in the UK if they face “fear of persecution and/or serious harm by members of Boko Haram because of” their “actual or perceived opposition to the group”.

Adapted from Business Transport