Court remands Lagos Eze Igbo over inciting comment on bringing IPOB to protect Igbos in the commercial hub of the country
On Wednesday, the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Yaba ordered that Fredrick Nwajagu, the Eze Igbo of Ajao Estate, be remanded to the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.
Nwajagu was arrested on Saturday as a result of a video that went viral in which he threatened to invite members of the Indigenous People of Biafra to Lagos to seize the property of Igbo residents of the state.
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The 67-year-old was arraigned before P. E. Nwaka on Wednesday in the magistrate court.
In Lagos State, the police charged him with two counts, including misconduct and intent to cause a disturbance.
The four-person police prosecution team, led by OC Legal Yetunde Cardoso, informed the court that the offence was committed by Nwajagu on March 26, 2023 at No. 2 Akeem Shittu Street, Ajao Estate, Lagos.
“The defendant acted in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace by making inciting statements and threatening to shut down Lagos for one month, three weeks, or three days with the IPOB terrorist group,” the prosecution said.
According to the team, the offences violated Sections 168(d) and 411 of the Lagos State Criminal Code of 2015.
In the absence of legal counsel from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, they asked the court to remand the defendant in custody for thirty days.
While submitting the defendant’s bail application, defence counsel urged the court to grant bail on the most lenient terms possible.
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The magistrate, having denied the attorney’s motion, ordered the defendant’s immediate remand to the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending legal counsel from the DPP.
Nwaka postponed the case until May 3, 2023, pending advice from the DPP.
Recall that in a 49-second video that went viral on Twitter, Nwajagu allegedly threatened to invite IPOB members to Lagos in order to protect Igbo people and their property in the state.
He stated in the viral video, “IPOB, we will invite them. They are unemployed. The entire IPOB will defend all of our stores. And we must compensate them. We must mobilise for this. That is a necessity. We must have security in order for them to cease midnight, morning, and afternoon attacks.
“When they discover that we have our security in place before they arrive, they will know that our men are present. I am not attempting to conceal any of my words. I am not hiding my words, let my words go viral. Igbo must obtain their legal standing in Lagos State.”
SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, responded to his statements by stating that the command would resist IPOB’s presence in the state.
Following the statement, the Department of State Services arrested the defendant in an Ejigbo hotel on April 1, 2023.
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