Court Jails but Frees "Eze Ndigbo of Ajao Estate" Over IPOB Threat During 2023 Elections in Lagos

By Dansu Peter  A Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos Island, has acquitted Frederick Nwajagu, popularly known...

By Dansu Peter 

A Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos Island, has acquitted Frederick Nwajagu, popularly known as the “Eze Ndigbo of Ajao Estate,”of charges bordering on terrorism.  

Delivering judgment, Justice Yetunde Adesanya ruled that the Lagos State Government failed to prove the terrorism allegations against Nwajagu beyond a reasonable doubt. However, the court found him guilty of unlawfully parading himself as a titled chief under the Oba and Chiefs Law of Lagos State.  

For this offence, Nwajagu was sentenced to one year in prison with no option of a fine. But Justice Adesanya noted that the 67-year-old had already spent over two years in custody while awaiting trial. Consequently, the court ordered his release, as he had served more than the required jail term.  

Nwajagu was arrested on April 1, 2023, following the circulation of a viral video in which he allegedly threatened to invite members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to Lagos. In the video, he was heard saying, “IPOB, we will invite them. They have no job. All of the IPOB will protect all of our shops. And we have to pay them. We have to mobilize for that… We must have our security so that they will stop attacking us.”  

The video, which surfaced during the highly charged 2023 general elections, sparked widespread reactions and led to his arrest and subsequent trial.  

Justice Adesanya’s judgment brings the case to a close, with the court emphasizing the importance of upholding the rule of law while addressing issues of public security.