Igbo lawyers apply to join suit seeking to exit tribe from Nigeria

A team of Igbo lawyers has applied to a Federal High Court, Abuja, to join as a Defendant in a suit filed by a group of northern elders seeking to exit the Igbo out of Nigeria, based on the agitations of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Some members of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) had in June this year asked the court to compel the National Assembly to hasten the exit of the South East from Nigeria, before concluding the ongoing constitutional amendment.

The Plaintiffs, led by Nastura Ashir Shariff, Balarabe Rufa’I, Abdul-Aziz Sulaiman and Aminu Adam, in a supporting affidavit, said their action was informed by the need to contain violence and destruction being allegedly perpetrated by IPOB.

They said they did not want a repeat of the 1967 to 1970 civil war in Nigeria that cost the country millions of lives and property worth billions of Naira.

The Attorney General of the Federation, the Senate president, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly were listed as Defendants in the suit.

READ: IPOB alleges house-to-house abductions, killings of Igbo youths by security agencies

In a 12-paragraph affidavit in support of their application, the Igbo lawyers, led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chuks Muoma, Ukpai Ukairo, Ebere Uzoatu and Obi Emuka, said the northern groups, in their suit, did not think it necessary to join the people of South East or their representatives to enable the court hear from them.

They are, therefore, asking for order of the court to allow them join in the suit as representatives of the people of the south eastern region.

In the application for joinder, filed by Victor Onweremadu, in Abuja, Monday, they said the case of the northern elders seeking the exit of South East from Nigeria had the capability to shape the life of generation of Igbo people.

The motion on notice for the joinder request was brought pursuant to order 9 rule 5 and order 26 rule 2 of the Federal High Court civil procedure rule 2019.

The Igbo lawyers said they had interest to protect in the suit, hence, their request to be made defendants.

The request for court order to compel hastening of South-East exit from Nigeria was one of the three prayers sought in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/538/2021 instituted by the group of elders and politicians from the North, led by Shariff, Rufa’I, Sulaiman and Adam.