The Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu has upheld a previous judgment by the Enugu State High Court, declaring the arrest and detention of Stephen Egwuatu by the State Security Services (SSS) as unlawful.
The court also reaffirmed a N5 million fine against the SSS.
Egwuatu, who is now 16 years old, was arrested on November 8, 2021, at the age of 12 and released three days later, on November 11, 2021.
Counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, in a statement, recalled that the Enugu High Court had earlier ruled against the SSS, describing its actions as a violation of Egwuatu’s fundamental rights.
The agency, through the Enugu State Ministry of Justice, had appealed the ruling.
However, the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision delivered on March 27, 2025, dismissed the appeal. Presiding judge, Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri, upheld the High Court’s verdict and insisted that the SSS must pay the N5 million fine.
Ejiofor described the ruling as a landmark judgment, emphasizing that the court strongly condemned the unlawful arrest and detention of an innocent minor.