‘Time running out’ – Ejiofor fires back after Nnamdi Kanu sacks him as lawyer

Legal practitioner, Ifeanyi Ejiofor has finally reacted to the decision of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, to terminate his services as personal lawyer, saying he has remained silent despite years of alleged attacks and threats.

Ejiofor’s reaction comes days after Kanu, in a letter dated July 22 from the Sokoto Correctional Centre, formally ended the lawyer’s retainership and warned him against making public statements or disclosing confidential information obtained during the course of his legal representation.

In a statement posted on his Facebook handle on Monday, Ejiofor dismissed what he described as “the curious panic of those confronted by nothing but silence,” insisting that he had exercised restraint despite repeated provocations.

The lawyer alleged that the IPOB leader, had, over the years, orchestrated campaigns of blackmail against him, filed what he described as frivolous petitions before the relevant professional body, and made several defamatory allegations against him.

He further claimed that Kanu issued threats against him from detention and instructed supporters to target him, allegations he said he never publicly responded to.

According to Ejiofor, he also endured accusations bordering on his professional conduct and personal life but chose to remain silent out of respect for legal ethics and professional responsibility.

The former IPOB counsel argued that Kanu’s recent emphasis on client confidentiality came only after he allegedly became aware of evidence that could be presented in court in defence of another party in an ongoing defamation matter.

“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,” Ejiofor said.

He maintained that he had consistently been guided by professional ethics and had no intention of becoming responsible for the consequences of another person’s actions.

Ejiofor also declined to respond directly to what he described as “concocted or apparently forged correspondence hurriedly assembled by overzealous actors,” an apparent reference to Kanu’s letter terminating his services.

Questioning the motive behind Kanu’s warning on confidentiality, Ejiofor said, “Why the sudden panic? Why the hurried invocation of professional confidentiality? Why the desperate attempt to silence a voice that has, for years, chosen restraint over retaliation?”

The lawyer concluded with a warning that “time is fast running out,” adding that, “For now, nothing has been said. And perhaps that is precisely what is causing all the lamentation. It is only a matter of time.”

DAILY POST reported that Kanu had, in his termination letter, directed Ejiofor to stop representing him, his family and IPOB in any capacity.

He warned that any unauthorized disclosure of confidential or privileged information could amount to professional misconduct and attract disciplinary proceedings before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC, alongside other legal actions.