Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu has upheld the judgment of the Enugu State High Court, declaring the arrest and detention of 12-year-old Stephen Egwuatu by the State Security Services (SSS) as unlawful and a violation of his fundamental rights. The court also reaffirmed the ₦5 million fine imposed on the SSS.
Counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, disclosed this in a statement, stating that Egwuatu was arrested on November 8, 2021, at the age of 12, and released on November 11, 2021.
Ejiofor recalled that after the Enugu High Court ruled in favor of Egwuatu and imposed a ₦5 million fine on the SSS, the agency appealed the decision. However, the Court of Appeal, in a ruling delivered on March 27, 2025, dismissed the appeal and upheld the earlier judgment.
“The Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, in Appeal No. CA/E/2023: STATE SECURITY SERVICE VS. STEPHEN EGWUATU, dismissed the SSS’s appeal as unmeritorious. Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri, who delivered the lead judgment, reaffirmed the punitive cost awarded against the SSS,” Ejiofor stated.
He praised the ruling as a victory for justice and pledged to ensure full enforcement of the judgment
