The Lagos State High Court sitting in Tafa Balewa Square on Thursday found the self-styled Eze Ndigbo of Ajao Estate, Frederick Nwajagu, guilty of falsely parading himself as a titled chief in Lagos State, in violation of state law.
As a result, the court sentenced him to one year in prison without an option of bail. However, since Nwajagu has already been in custody as an awaiting trial inmate since 2023, having served more than a year in prison, he was released to go home.
In her ruling, Justice Yetunde Adesanya dismissed the terrorism charges brought against Nwajagu by the Lagos State Government, stating that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations of terrorism.
Justice Adesanya observed that the prosecution could not establish any of the essential elements of the terrorism charges. While acquitting Nwajagu of all terrorism-related counts, she convicted him for contravening the Obas and Chiefs Law of Lagos State by unlawfully presenting himself as a chief.
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The Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Babajide Martins, who was present in court for a separate matter, confirmed the judgment.
Nwajagu was arrested on April 1, 2023, following the circulation of a viral video in which he threatened to invite members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to Lagos to protect the properties of Igbo residents.
In the 49-second video, Nwajagu 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 at midnight, in the morning, and in the afternoon.”
He was subsequently arraigned on May 10, 2023, before Justice Adesanya, and pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including attempts to commit acts of terrorism, participation in terrorism, supporting a proscribed entity, and preparing to commit a terrorist act.
During the trial, a prosecution witness, Mrs. Raulat Ibrahim, a civil servant at the Ministry of Local Governments, Chieftaincy Affairs, and Rural Development, testified that “Eze Ndigbo” was not a recognised chieftaincy title in Lagos State. Ibrahim went on to explain the legal and procedural requirements for recognising an Oba or chief in Lagos under the Obas and Chiefs Law of Lagos State, 2015.
