“I Haven’t Been Nnamdi Kanu’s Lawyer Since 2023” — Ejiofor Says His Law Firm Still Represents IPOB

Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor has responded to the decision by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to terminate his legal services, insisting that he voluntarily withdrew as Kanu’s personal lawyer nearly three years ago.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ejiofor said he had ceased acting as Kanu’s personal legal representative in December 2023, stressing that the recent letter issued from the Sokoto Correctional Centre did not alter his position.

According to the senior lawyer, he has not represented Kanu personally, his family, or acted as his legal counsel since his withdrawal in 2023, describing any suggestion to the contrary as a misrepresentation of the facts.

READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu Sacks Longtime Lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor Withdraws Authority To Represent Him Or IPOB [Documents Attached]

However, Ejiofor clarified that while he no longer represents Kanu in his personal capacity, his law firm remains under a valid and continuous retainer as solicitors to IPOB.

He disclosed that, under that mandate, his firm has secured the discharge and acquittal of more than 200 persons alleged to be IPOB members in courts across Abuja, Abia, and Ebonyi states between December 2023 and 2025.

Ejiofor further argued that Kanu did not personally appoint his law firm as solicitors to IPOB, explaining that the IPOB leader’s engagement related only to his personal legal representation, from which he had already withdrawn.

He also revealed that IPOB had reaffirmed his firm’s position as the organisation’s solicitors and legal representatives.

“It is equally important to place on record that IPOB, as an organisation, has today reaffirmed our standing as its solicitors and legal representatives. That professional relationship is founded upon a continuing mandate and cannot be retrospectively altered, invalidated, or otherwise dictated by its former leaders,” Ejiofor stated.

The lawyer also questioned the authenticity of documents and letters purportedly issued by inmates from correctional facilities.

Citing provisions of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, he argued that official correspondence originating from inmates must be duly authenticated by the officer in charge of the correctional facility before it can be relied upon.

He cautioned lawyers, media organisations, and members of the public against placing reliance on unauthorised communications allegedly emanating from inmates without following the procedures prescribed by law.

Ejiofor’s response comes days after Kanu issued a four-page letter dated July 22, 2026, formally terminating his legal retainer and withdrawing any authority previously granted to him to represent himself, his family, or IPOB.

In the letter, Kanu directed Ejiofor to stop making public statements on behalf of him or IPOB, withdraw from pending legal matters where he remained counsel on record, and refrain from using confidential information obtained during the course of the legal representation.

Kanu also warned that any unauthorised disclosure of privileged information could amount to professional misconduct and may attract disciplinary proceedings before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).

The exchange marks the latest development in the ongoing leadership and legal disagreements surrounding the IPOB movement, even as Kanu’s terrorism trial before the Federal High Court continues to attract national and international attention.