Justice Yetunde Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court, sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), has discharged and acquitted Frederick Nwajagu, the self-proclaimed Eze Ndigbo of Ajao Estate, of the terrorism charges brought against him by the state.
In her judgment, Justice Adesanya held that the Lagos State government failed to prove the terrorism charge against Nwajagu beyond all reasonable doubts.
However, the judge found him guilty of parading himself as a titled chief in Lagos without any authorisation, and for this offence, he was jailed for one year without the option of a fine.
Since Nwajagu has already spent more than the prescribed jail term for this offence since his arrest in 2023, he was released from prison and allowed to go home by the court.
The 67-year-old Eze Ndigbo was arrested on April 1, 2023, by the Department of State Services (DSS) over an alleged threat to invite members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to Lagos to secure properties of Igbo people in the state.
On May 9, the then Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyo Onigbanjo (SAN), had arraigned the defendant on a nine-count charge of attempting to commit acts of terrorism.
The defendant was also accused of attempting to carry out acts of terrorism under Section 403(2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015; participating in a terrorism meeting to support a criminal entity; attempting to finance an act of terrorism and preparation to commit an act of terrorism under sections 12(c), 18, 21, 29 & 12(a) of the Terrorism (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022,” amongst other charges. The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
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