By Opeyemi Adelakun
Former counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has broken his silence following the termination of his legal services, hinting that more revelations could emerge as the dispute between the two escalates.
Ejiofor’s reaction comes days after Kanu, in a letter dated July 22, 2026, formally ended his retainership as personal lawyer and directed him to stop representing him, his family and the Indigenous People of Biafra in any capacity.
Kanu also warned the lawyer against making public comments about him or disclosing confidential information obtained during the course of their professional relationship, cautioning that any breach could amount to professional misconduct and attract disciplinary action before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).
Responding in a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Monday, Ejiofor said he had deliberately remained silent for years despite facing what he described as repeated attacks, threats and attempts to tarnish his reputation.
According to him, he endured sustained blackmail campaigns, petitions filed against him before relevant professional bodies and defamatory statements questioning both his integrity and legal practice without responding publicly.
The lawyer further alleged that while Kanu was in detention, he made threats against him and encouraged some of his supporters to launch attacks on his reputation.
Despite the alleged provocation, Ejiofor said he chose restraint because he was guided by professional ethics and his obligations as a legal practitioner.
He stressed that his silence should not be interpreted as weakness, insisting he had consistently respected the confidentiality of the lawyer-client relationship.
“The time has not yet come for me to disclose professionally obtained information. Even if I had intended to do so, I would have done it long before now,” he stated.
Ejiofor maintained that he had no intention of violating legal ethics or becoming responsible for the consequences of another person’s actions, adding that he would continue to conduct himself in line with the rules governing the legal profession.
He also declined to directly address what he described as documents that appeared to have been hastily prepared or possibly forged, an apparent reference to Kanu’s letter terminating his legal services.
Questioning the timing of Kanu’s warning on confidentiality, Ejiofor asked why concerns about legal privilege were only being raised after he had remained silent throughout years of alleged attacks.
He suggested that the warning may have been prompted by concerns that certain information could surface in court as part of the defence in an ongoing defamation case involving another party.
According to him, his decision not to speak publicly over the years was based on respect for the law rather than a lack of facts or evidence.
He concluded with a cryptic warning that “time is fast running out,” indicating that while he had chosen silence for now, that position might not remain indefinitely.
The public exchange marks a fresh twist in the relationship between Kanu and his former lawyer, who represented the IPOB leader through several years of his high-profile legal battles.
The dispute has continued to attract public attention, with observers watching closely for further developments from both parties.
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