The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of a retired State Security Service (SSS) officer, Nwaogu Ezeakolam, at the Kuje Correctional Centre, following his arraignment on charges of supporting the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Mr Ezeakolam appeared before Justice Muhammed Umar on Thursday facing four counts, including membership of IPOB and using social media to back the separatist group's activities. The SSS also accused him of publishing messages designed to persuade the public to join IPOB.
The alleged offences are said to contravene Sections 13, 25, and 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, according to the prosecuting agency.
Plea and Remand
After the charges were read, Mr Ezeakolam pleaded not guilty. The prosecution then requested a trial date and urged the court to keep the defendant in custody pending trial.
Justice Umar granted the application, adjourned the case to 29 October for the commencement of trial, and ordered that the retired officer be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Details of the Charges
In the first count, the SSS alleged that Mr Ezeakolam, between 2025 and 2026 in Abuja and Abia State, directly and indirectly supported IPOB by providing moral assistance and disseminating information through the internet and social media platforms, contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act.
The second count accuses him of joining IPOB in Abia State during the same period, an offence punishable under Section 25 of the same act. The third count claims he knowingly aided IPOB by posting social media messages calculated to induce unsuspecting members of the public to support the organisation, violating Section 26.
In the fourth count, the SSS alleged that Mr Ezeakolam posted and caused to be accessed messages aimed at advancing IPOB's activities, an act contravening Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended.
Background on IPOB Proscription
IPOB is a separatist movement seeking the secession of Nigeria's South-east as a sovereign Biafra state. On 20 September 2017, the Federal High Court in Abuja declared IPOB a terrorist organisation, following an ex parte application by then Attorney General Abubakar Malami.
The proscription, gazetted by former President Muhammadu Buhari, made membership of IPOB a criminal act. In November last year, the same court convicted IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu on seven terrorism-related counts, including membership, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
