Justice Yetunde Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court has discharged and acquitted the Eze Ndigbo of Ajao Estate, Lagos, Frederick Nwajagu, of terrorism charges filed against him.
Having been incarcerated for almost two years, Nwajagu was ordered to be released immediately.
He had been incarcerated in Ikoyi Prisons since 2023, after a Lagos State Magistrates Court in Yaba ordered his remand and subsequent efforts to secure his bail were denied.
He was finally discharged and acquitted of terrorism charges on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
At the Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, Nwajagu faced charges of threatening to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to Lagos to protect the lives and property of Igbo people if the police failed to safeguard them against attacks in the heat of the 2023 elections.
Although freeing Nwajagu of terrorism, the Lagos State High Court convicted and sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment for the offence of parading himself as a certified chief in Lagos State, contrary to the Oba and Chiefs Law of Lagos State.
He has been trial since 2023 on nine counts bordering on an attempt to commit acts of terrorism, financing terrorism, participating in terrorism and meeting to support a proscribed entity.
Chief Fabian Onwughalu, one of the lawyers representing Nwajagu, in a statement reported: “Eze Fred Nwajagu, Ezeigbo, Ajao Estate, Lagos State was thrown into detention by Lagos State Government for terrorism and other offences allegedly for making a video warning Olu Omo and other Yoruba Youths to cease persecution of Ndigbo and burning of Igbo dominated markets in Lagos State, or else he would be compelled to invite IPOB to secure Igbo markets and assets in Lagos State.
“The Lagos State Government abysmally failed to prove any of the ingredients of the offence of terrorism charges against the young Ezeigbo, and the High Court coram Adesanya, J discharged and acquitted him of all the counts of the terrorism related offences.
“He was however convicted and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for the offence of parading himself as a certified Chief in Lagos State contrary to the Oba and Chiefs Law of Lagos State.
“Having been incarcerated for almost two years, he was ordered to be released immediately.”
However, he said they would be appealing Nwajagu’s conviction for parading himself as a Chief in Lagos State as they believed the prosecution did not prove the offence to warrant the conviction.
According to the legal practitioner, the Ezeigbo institution was not recognised by the law of Lagos State, and so had nothing to do with the Oba and Chiefs Law.
