Time Running Out – Ejiofor Responds After Kanu Sacks Him as Lawyer

Legal practitioner Ifeanyi Ejiofor has responded to the decision by detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, to remove him as his personal lawyer.

Ejiofor reacted on Monday through a statement shared on his Facebook page, days after Kanu formally ended his legal services and warned him against releasing confidential information obtained during their professional relationship.

Kanu, who is being held at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, had issued a letter dated July 22, informing Ejiofor that his services were no longer needed. He also directed the lawyer to stop representing him, his family and IPOB in any matter.

The IPOB leader further warned that any disclosure of confidential information gathered during the course of legal representation could lead to disciplinary action before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee as well as other legal consequences.

Reacting to the development, Ejiofor said he had remained silent for years despite facing what he described as repeated attacks, threats and attempts to damage his reputation. He claimed he was the target of blackmail campaigns, petitions filed against him before professional bodies and several allegations relating to both his legal practice and personal life.

According to him, he deliberately chose not to respond publicly because of his commitment to legal ethics and professional responsibility.

The former counsel also alleged that Kanu made threats against him while in detention and encouraged supporters to direct attacks at him. He maintained that he still refused to engage publicly despite those actions.

Ejiofor said the recent warnings about client confidentiality came only after Kanu allegedly became aware that certain information could become relevant in an ongoing defamation case involving another party. He insisted that he had no intention of revealing information obtained through his professional relationship with Kanu and said he had always respected the rules guiding legal practice.

He also declined to address what he described as questionable correspondence circulating in relation to the termination of his services. Without directly confirming the authenticity of the letter, Ejiofor said he would not be drawn into responding to documents he believed were put together by overzealous individuals.

The lawyer questioned why there was now an urgent effort to remind him about confidentiality after years in which he had remained silent despite the issues he claimed to have faced. He maintained that his decision not to speak publicly had been deliberate and based on professional principles rather than fear or pressure.

Ejiofor concluded by suggesting that more developments could emerge in the future, saying the situation had not yet reached its final stage. His reaction comes shortly after Kanu officially ended their professional relationship, bringing to a close years of legal representation in one of Nigeria’s most closely watched court cases.