Attorney for IPOB, Ejiofor, calls for immediate freedom of detained Igbo youngsters at Wawa Barracks

Renowned human rights lawyer Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra, is urging the Federal Government and the Attorney-General of the Federation to take immediate action and secure the release of hundreds of Igbo youths being held without charge at the Wawa Barracks.

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Ejiofor made this appeal in a statement released on Tuesday, titled "Midweek Musing: When Justice Looks North and Blinks South — The Irony of Selective Prosecution and the Silent Suffering of a People," in which he expressed concern over the prolonged detention of these youths without trial.

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The human rights lawyer described the continued detention of these individuals as a serious infringement of their constitutional rights, emphasizing that they have been held for an unreasonably long time without being brought to justice.

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Ejiofor pointed to a disturbing disparity in the application of justice across different regions of Nigeria, particularly between the South-East and the North, where he alleged that individuals from the North implicated in banditry and terrorism were not prosecuted during the tenure of former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami.

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In contrast, Ejiofor claimed that Igbo youths are frequently arrested, detained, and held for extended periods, often without sufficient evidence or justification.

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He argued that Nigeria has pushed the patience of the Igbo people to the limit, and that the ongoing detention of these youths is devoid of any legal or moral basis.

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Ejiofor referenced recent disclosures from the Department of State Services that emerged during the prosecution of former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, which have shocked many Nigerians and highlighted the failure to prosecute individuals from the North accused of financing terrorism.

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According to Ejiofor, these individuals were implicated in funding violent non-state actors, including Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other jihadist groups, based on credible intelligence investigations.

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The fact that these cases were abandoned, and the suspects were cleared, raises questions about the sudden disappearance of terrorism or whether it was simply forgiven, Ejiofor noted.

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In the South-East, Ejiofor observed that young people are often arrested and detained for extended periods based on mere suspicion or profiling, which he believes is a different standard from the one applied in the North.

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While acknowledging the importance of allowing judicial processes to run their course, Ejiofor expressed concerns about the fairness and equity of the charges brought against these individuals, which he believes raise troubling questions about the impartial application of justice in Nigeria.

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Ejiofor urged the Federal Government to take decisive action to restore public confidence in the justice system and put an end to the selective prosecution and systemic injustice suffered by the Igbo people, starting with the immediate release of all unlawfully detained youths at the Wawa Barracks.