The federal government on Wednesday arraigned one Idara Godwin, also known as Idara Gold before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for promoting the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Facebook.
She was also accused of concealing information that would have led to the apprehension of one Chuks Egwuatu, as well as being a member of the proscribed group.
She pleaded not guilty to the charge. Justice Nyako ordered her remand at the Suleja Correctional Center, pending the commencement of trial slated for November 22.
Mr. Nnaemeka Ejiofor, her lawyer said that defendant was among the 24 IPOB members currently being detained by the Department of State Service without an order of court.
He added that neither relatives of the detainees nor their lawyers knew the exact location of the detainees.
Ejiofor commended journalists for supporting his call for the government to either release the detainees unconditionally or charge them to court.
The lawyer had during a press conference raised the alarm over what he claimed as the unlawful arrest and detention of some Igbo citizens across the country for associating with Biafra.He alleged that since their arrest last year all efforts to locate and interface with the detained IPOB members have been rebuffed by the authorities of the DSS.
According to him, both the military authorities and the DSS believed to be responsible for the ordeal of his clients have been given conflicting and confusing information on the whereabouts of the people.
He said while the DSS claimed that the detainees were in the military custody, the army authorities sworn to affidavit in the High Court to the effect that no members of IPOB was in their custody.He, however, told journalists that Idara was brought to court yesterday, from a military facility in Kainji, where she had told her lawyers that over 30 of them were taken to from Abuja.
Idara, was arrested in Enugu last November, and was brought to Abuja for investigation before her arraignment yesterday morning.
Count one of the charge read: “That you Idara Godwin AKA Idara Gold Biafra, female, adult, of Egbonna, Topland Amechi road, Agbani road, Enugu State, sometimes in 2021 at Enugu Local Government Area, Enugu State, within the jurisdiction of this Court did commit an offence to wit: you made series of posts on the Facebook social media platform wherein you promoted the activities of IPOB, a proscribed organisation, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 5 (1) of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act 2013 and punishable under the same Section of the Act.”Besides Idara, who was arraigned yesterday, others allegedly held by the authorities included: Ikechukwu Henry, Joy Udoh, Emeka Ngomadi, Pius Awoke, Chinedum Nwoha,Igwe Dike, Ogbonna Ajah, Kingsley Onovu, Ogbonna Ojima and Fortune Okerie.
Others are Joseph Eze, Emmanuel Chinonso, Uket Godwin,Ogbonna Ndubusi, Eze Chukwuemeka, Ibeleme Torchukwu, Emmanuel Ike, Cletus Egole, Pastor Phillip Egole, Chinonso Anyanwu, Kelechi Okeke, Godspower Chilemu and Chukwuma Nwaokike.
Ejiofor who accused DSS of flagrant breach of fundamental rights of the detainees, lamented that most of them, especially the clergymen, were innocent but were unlawfully arrested in their various churches.
