A high court in Ebonyi State has ordered the release of 24 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) after they were held in detention for four years.

The ruling on Thursday marks a significant development in the ongoing legal proceedings involving the group.

The 24 IPOB members were discharged and acquitted by Justice I. P. Chima of Ebonyi State High Court.

It was gathered that they were among the last batch of the IPOB detainees out of the 36 held since May 4 2020.

Meanwhile, their lawyer and human rights activist, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, confirmed their freedom in a statement titled, “Justice Delayed, But Never Denied.”

According to him, the ruling followed the preliminary objection which highlighted the brazen violation of their fundamental rights: particularly the constitutionally guaranteed protection against double jeopardy, enshrined under Section 36(9) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Ejiofor said the sacred principle, “autrefois acquit”, stipulates that no person shall be tried again for an offence in respect of which they have previously been acquitted.

Two sisters have been apprehended by the Enugu State Police Command for allegedly masterminding the kidnapping of their brother, Mr. Friday Chukwu.

The two sisters, Juliet Chukwu and Ngozi Nancy Chukwu, are the younger sisters of the victim, who hails from Amaeze village, Ishiagu community, in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

The two sisters are security agents. while Juliet Chukwu is an operative of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ngozi Nancy Chukwu is of the Nigeria Immigration Service.

It was gathered that through the duo’s connivance, Chukwu was kidnapped last month on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway near the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, in the Nkanu West Local Government Area, Enugu State.

And through the sisters’ prodding and subtle moves, it was claimed that the sum of N30 million was paid for their brother’s release.

Earlier, the two female security operatives orchestrated the abduction of the General Manager of China Oriental Mining Company, Dennis Igwe, in the same area on Monday.

Luck ran out of them when they were traced to a hidden hotel where they were to share the sum of N10m ransom paid for Igwe’s release, and they were arrested.

•The spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, Bright Edafe

A 26-year-old apprentice, Anwaji Moses, has killed his 38-year-old boss, who is the owner of a palm oil milling business in Delta State.

Moses confessed to having killed his boss, Victor Ochei, in a video shared by the spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, Bright Edafe, on Monday.

While narrating the unfortunate incident, Edafe revealed that the deceased owed his apprentice about six months’ salaries before his death.

“He met his waterloo when he was going to his site alongside his boy, someone he employs and pays salaries.

The suspect claimed that the man has owed him for about six to eight months, the sum of 300k, and because he was angry at his employer that was why he murdered him with a pestle.

The man has an oil milling factory where this boy was also working for him,” said Edafe.

Moses corroborated the spokesperson that his deceased boss had last paid him his salary in 2024, and whenever he confronted him about it, the deceased would tell him he was building a house.

Moses added that he had stopped working for his boss but returned to him after the deceased pleaded with him to return to work with him.

He also said his boss would give him the sum of N500 to feed on every day.

“Each time I confronted him, he would tell me that I am asking for money and I should calm down, that he is building a house.

He knows I don’t have anybody to help me,” said Moses. While narrating how he killed his boss, Moses said he hit him twice with a pestle when they were heading to purchase palm fruits for palm oil processing.

He moved his body from the scene, hid it, and carted away with his motorcycle and phone. When the sister of the deceased called, Moses told him he had been abducted and requested a ransom of N10 million.

“I was scared and didn’t want anybody to discover. I took his phone. I told his sister that she should send me money because he has been kidnapped. I asked for N10 million, and she sent 300k to an Opay account,” he added.