Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has said the defamation suit against Police Spokesperson, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, and former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, will continue despite a Court of Appeal ruling that affirmed the proscription of IPOB as a terrorist organization.

Kanu, through Ejimakor, had filed charges against both men on the grounds of defamation.

Regarding Adejobi, Kanu filed a suit marked CR/267/2025, dated Tuesday, January 28, 2025, in which he expressed displeasure over a press statement purportedly authored by Adejobi.

He argued that the press release, with the headline, “Imo: Police neutralise six IPOB/ESN terrorists, recover arms,” portrayed him as a terrorist leader by referring to IPOB as a proscribed terrorist organization.

He said, “These defamatory and libellous statements go far beyond fair comment,” adding that they were “malicious, designed specifically to impugn his person and character, and made in bad faith.”

He then asked the court to make the following declarations, “That the defendant’s statements or utterances are libellous and defamatory.

“That the defendant be directed to retract the publications through the same media outlets by issuing another press statement.

“That the defendant be directed to write and deliver an unreserved letter of apology to the claimant.

“That the letter of apology is prominently and boldly published full-page in three national dailies.”

It read further, “That the defendant be restrained by a perpetual injunction from further defamatory or libellous utterances against the claimant.

“That the defendant be ordered to pay the sum of N20,000,000,000 (Twenty billion naira) as general and exemplary damages.”

In his suit against Ahmad, Kanu, who is in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and facing terrorism and treasonable felony charges, lamented that he was described as a terrorist by the former presidential aide.

This was after Ahmad shared on X, “Anybody advocating for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, a terrorist and the leader of the proscribed terrorist organization IPOB, should be considered a sworn enemy of this country.”

He prayed that the court should issue “An Order directing the Defendant to pay to the Claimant the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One Hundred Billion Naira only) being general and exemplary damages."

However, the suits filed by Kanu may not hold water in court after a Court of Appeal affirmed the Federal Government's decision to proscribe IPOB as a terrorist organization.

A three-member panel of the court, led by Justice Hamma Barka, on Thursday unanimously agreed with the Federal Government’s counsel, Oyin Koleosho, that the state acted lawfully in proscribing the group.

The news from the Court of Appeal was greeted with excitement by Adejobi and Ahmad, based on recent posts they made on social media.

However, when MyNigeria reached out to Ejimakor, he said,“The ongoing suits for defamation will proceed apace despite the Court of Appeal’s affirmance of the infamous IPOB proscription. Why? Because the decision is not final and we are heading to the Supreme Court which is the final arbiter.

"There are also other myriad legal options that can be triggered against anybody or entity that might attempt to take undue advantage of the Court of Appeal judgment. So, for the time being, it is safer and wiser for all and sundry to resist the dangerous temptation of calling Mazi Nnamdi Kanu a terrorist until he is either convicted as one or until the Supreme Court finally decides it against him.

"In plain terms, the jury is still out on the issue of whether the IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu are terrorists or not. Thus, anybody or entity that purveys that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a terrorist will be countervailed by a prompt and muscular litigation.”