Suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who were arrested after they allegedly attacked Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, during his visit to Germany in 2019 have been convicted.
According to an agency report, the suspects who were four in number were convicted sometime in August for physical assault and sentenced to 20 days of labour without an option of fine. They were also reported to have served their sentences.
Sometime in 2019, the serving senator from Enugu state was assaulted by suspected Biafra agitators in Nuremberg at an event organized by Ndigbo Germany. IPOB reportedly claimed responsibility and said that the attack was to serve as a warning to Igbo leaders that any day they find them in public events abroad, they will be humiliated.
As at press time, the Nigerian embassy was yet to reveal the identities of the convicts even as there is no record that Ekweremadu lodged any complaint against his attackers.
According to sources amongst Nigerian government officials in Germany, the Bavaria state police had identified four of the attackers in the course of their investigation. The Nigerian embassy also mounted pressure on the German federal authorities to bring the attackers to justice following the initial reluctance of the state police to investigate the assault, which was captured on video.
