The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has claimed that the Nigerian government owes its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a total of ₦9.5 billion in damages from court judgments allegedly secured in his favour.
IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, made the claim in a statement issued by the group’s Directorate of State (DOS), describing the judgments as “subsisting and unoverturned.”
The group said the clarification was aimed at countering what it described as misinformation against Kanu and his legal team, particularly his Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor.
According to IPOB, Ejimakor has recorded several legal victories for Kanu and the group at both domestic and international levels, but the Nigerian government has failed to comply with the rulings.
“These judgments were brazenly disobeyed by the Nigerian state. All remain subsisting and unoverturned. The Federal Republic of Nigeria, the DSS, the Nigerian Army, and the South-East Governors’ Forum stand thoroughly defeated in multiple courts and cumulatively owe Mazi Nnamdi Kanu ₦9.5 billion in damages,” the group said.
IPOB listed some of the judgments it said were obtained through Ejimakor’s legal efforts, including a January 2022 Abia State High Court ruling which awarded ₦1 billion in damages over the 2017 military invasion of Kanu’s ancestral home during Operation Python Dance.
The group also cited an October 2022 Federal High Court judgment in Umuahia, which it said declared Kanu’s extraordinary rendition unlawful, awarded ₦500 million damages, and ordered the government to restore him to his pre-rendition status.
It further referenced an October 2023 Enugu State High Court judgment that declared the proscription of IPOB as a terrorist organisation unconstitutional and ordered the payment of ₦8 billion compensation to Kanu and the group.
IPOB said the judgments amounted to a cumulative financial liability of ₦9.5 billion against the Nigerian government.
The group also highlighted Ejimakor’s involvement in legal actions before international bodies, including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and various United Nations mechanisms, which it claimed addressed issues surrounding Kanu’s arrest, detention, IPOB’s proscription, and Operation Python Dance.
IPOB added that a 2025 Kenya High Court judgment had also declared Kanu’s abduction and rendition unlawful.
The group praised Ejimakor’s role in Kanu’s legal battles, insisting that no other lawyer had achieved comparable victories in cases involving Kanu and IPOB.
It maintained that alleged campaigns against Kanu, IPOB, and their legal representatives had failed, while urging attention to what it described as the continued enforcement of court judgments in favour of its leader.
Samuel Agada is a writer and media contributor from Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. He is a graduate of Biochemistry from the University of Jos and a former banker with GTBank and FCMB. A prolific writer, songwriter, educator, and Gospel preacher, he is passionate about informing, inspiring, and impacting society through his work.