Ejimakor Demands Release Of South-East Man Detained Since 2022 Without Trial Over Alleged IPOB Membership | Sahara Reporters

Ejimakor’s alarm comes amid longstanding concerns raised by rights groups and lawyers over the treatment of suspected IPOB members and other detainees in the South-East.

Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has raised the alarm over the alleged prolonged detention of a young Igbo man, Michael Onyedikachi Ahize, who he said was arrested in 2022 by security operatives.

Ejimakor, in an update posted on his X account, noted that Ahize was arrested in September 2022 by a combined team of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army over alleged membership of IPOB, and has remained in detention without being charged or brought before a court.

“For many young Igbo males, being labeled an IPOB member is literally a ‘kiss of death’”, Ejimakor wrote.

“This photo bears young Michael Onyedikachi Ahize, who was reportedly arrested in September 2022 by a combined team of DSS and the Army, and detained since then, without being charged or brought to Court.

“In the words of the Good Samaritan who brought this to my attention: ‘When Ahize was arrested, he was first taken to the DSS (Owerri) for ‘questioning’, then moved to Tiger Base (Owerri), and later transferred to Imo State Police Command.

“Later, he was taken back to the DSS for further questioning at some point before being returned to the Imo State Police Command, which remains his last known location.’”

Ejimakor alleged that the case reflects a wider pattern in which young Igbo men are arrested on what he described as “flimsy grounds” and subsequently accused of belonging to IPOB.

“Let me add this: Oftentimes, young Igbo males are arrested on flimsy grounds or set up, and then quickly labeled IPOB to justify indefinite detention,” the lawyer said.

“This sometimes escalates to torture and extrajudicial killing. It just has to stop. Ndigbo must band together and vigorously fight this persistent selective injustice.

“Every detainee deserves his day in Court. It’s a basic human right. If you come across this post, please share it widely, in the hope that it will help in our efforts to #FreeMichaelAhize, or accord him his day in Court.”

Ejimakor’s alarm comes amid longstanding concerns raised by rights groups and lawyers over the treatment of suspected IPOB members and other detainees in the South-East.

Ejimakor’s demand for Ahize to be brought before a court underscores the constitutional requirement that a person deprived of liberty should have access to due process and judicial oversight.

The lawyer has called on the public to amplify the case and support the campaign for Ahize’s release or for him to be formally charged and given an opportunity to defend himself in court.