The convicted leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has formally sacked his longtime lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor.
Mr Kanu announced this in a letter which he personally signed and addressed to Mr Ejiofor. The letter was dated 22 July.
The IPOB leader acknowledged that he had previously sacked the lawyer through a verbal statement, explaining that he decided to formalise the disengagement
“Your engagement as my personal legal representative was previously terminated by me through direct verbal communication, upon which you ceased acting in that capacity. This letter serves, in part, as a formal written confirmation of that earlier termination,” he said.
The convict accused Mr Ejiofor of continuing to function “directly or indirectly” as legal representative to him and IPOB despite the initial termination of his contract.
“Accordingly, and for the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever, I hereby formally withdraw and terminate any authority previously granted to you to act for or represent IPOB in any capacity.
“From the date of this letter, you have no authority – implied, express, or ostensible to act, speak, or make representations on my behalf, on behalf of my family, or on behalf of IPOB,” he told the lawyer.
Referencing a section of the IPOB code of conduct relating to the appointment and dismissal within the organisation, Mr Kanu stressed that nobody, except himself, has the power or authority to appoint or retain any legal representative for IPOB.
“As the leader of IPOB and the holder of the exclusive authority vested in me under the Code of Conduct, I hereby reaffirm that any authority previously granted to you to represent IPOB has been withdrawn,” he declared.
The IPOB leader asked Mr Ejiofor to entirely refrain from making any public statements on his behalf, family or the separatist group.
He also warned him to stop portraying himself directly or indirectly as his legal representative in public or courtrooms, including ongoing matters he was listed as the legal representative.
‘Remain confidential with information about me, IPOB’
Mr Kanu reminded Mr Ejiofor that he had acquired confidential and privileged information about himself and IPOB in the course of his legal representation, pointing out that those are “legally protected information.”
The IPOB leader told the lawyer that his formal disengagement does not give him the freedom to disclose such information.
“Those obligations of confidence survive the termination of your retainer and remain binding indefinitely under the applicable rules governing legal practitioners.
“Recent events have given rise to serious concerns regarding the possible disclosure or use of information obtained during the course of that representation,” he said, adding that he reserves the right to file a lawsuit against the lawyer if he violates the confidentiality rule.
‘Nnamdi once accused of me having affair with his wife’ – Ejiofor reacts
Reacting in a statement published on his Facebook page on Monday, Mr Ejiofor suggested that Mr Kanu had been blackmailing and threatening him even from his Sokoto prison.
The lawyer claimed apart from threats, the IPOB leader allegedly and unsuccessfully sent his “foot soldiers to eliminate” him.
He recalled that Mr Kanu had made some false accusations against him, including the claim that he had entered into an intimate relationship with the IPOB leader’s wife.
Mr Ejiofor described Mr Kanu’s allegation that he was having a romantic affair with the wife as “the most reprehensible and utterly unfounded and defamatory allegation.”
The lawyer claimed that he had never “contemplated, imagined or remotely considered” the things he was accused of doing.
He said he has remained silent despite the frequency of the allegations against him.
Mr Ejiofor argued that by repeatedly launching attacks against him as his former lawyer, Mr Kanu has “himself fundamentally altered the circumstances surrounding professional confidentiality” because he (Ejiofor) might be compelled to defend himself, reputation and integrity.
“Let me, therefore, tell the daydreamer this: the time has not yet come for me to divulge professionally obtained information.
“And even if I had intended to do so, I would have done so long before now. I have, however, consistently allowed myself to be guided by the dictates of professional ethics, restraint and responsibility,” he said.
“I have no desire whatsoever to become responsible for the consequences of another person’s actions.”
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Nnamdi Kanu’s initial sack of Ejiofor
Mr Ejiofor was the lead counsel to Mr Kanu.
But in June 2023, the IPOB leader’s family announced the sack of Mr Ejiofor and one other member of the legal team, Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“I hereby formally notify @MikeozekhomeSAN and @IfeanyiEjiofor that their services are no longer required in Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case pending before the Supreme Court of Nigeria and all (cases) concerning him,” Kanunta Kanu, Mr Kanu’s younger brother, posted on X at the time.
Kanunta claimed that the family’s grouse followed Mr Ozekhome’s alleged refusal to see Mr Kanu at the State Security Service facility, since 11 May of that year, despite the IPOB leader’s “several” requests.
