The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared that it is no longer a proscribed organisation in Nigeria, urging media houses to stop labeling it as such.
In an open letter dated September 21, 2025, IPOB’s legal consultant, Onyedikachi Ifedi, said the proscription order issued against the group in 2017 collapsed with the repeal of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013.
“The purported proscription order against IPOB, having been rooted in the repealed Act, no longer has legal validity,” the statement read.
Ifedi argued that the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, which replaced the earlier legislation, contains no provision that criminalizes IPOB. He further warned that describing the group as banned or proscribed amounts to “defamation” and could attract legal action against media organisations.
The lawyer also cited multiple court decisions, including A.G. Federation v. Abubakar (2007) and Udoh v. Orthopedic Hospitals Management Board (1993), to back the claim that any order tied to a repealed law becomes void unless expressly preserved.
IPOB reminded journalists of their constitutional duty under Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution to uphold accuracy in public reporting, warning against “tacitly supporting governmental propaganda.”
The group’s proscription was first announced by the Federal High Court in Abuja in September 2017, following an application by the Attorney-General of the Federation. While the government continues to insist that IPOB remains banned, the movement maintains that the repeal of the legal framework behind the court order has rendered it null and void.
“The media owes the Nigerian public a duty of truthful reporting grounded in law. IPOB is neither proscribed nor criminalized today,” Ifedi emphasized.
