The United States District Court, District of Columbia, U.S.A., has dismissed the case filed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) cagainst Nigerian government officials.
The Court dismissed IPOB’s case on two grounds;
(1) The Court lacks Jurisdiction;
(2) The Nigeria Government Officials have foreign-official immunity.
The case which was filed by D.C. Attorneys, Fein & DelValle PLLC, representing IPOB while the Attorney General of Nigeria, retained Anthony O. Egbase, (AOE ) Law and Associates to represent the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on behalf of all the Nigerian government officials sued by IPOB.
IPOB sued 16 Nigerian government officials as listed below (Military , The Nigeria police and 2 Governors ), seeking hundreds of millions of dollars.
IPOB made claims that the Government officials conspired and agreed to kill Biafran civilians in order to quash Biafra and terrorize the Biafran population. IPOB claimed that the government officials engaged in (extra judicial killings of Biafrans) brutally tortured and killed 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
The United States District Court has yet again ruled to dismiss the case against Nigeria.
