𝗜 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝘂’𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝟮 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – 𝗘𝗷𝗶𝗼𝗳𝗼𝗿

Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the former lead counsel to convicted IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, has clarified that he personally withdrew from Kanu’s legal representation in December 2023, nearly two years before Kanu’s life sentence in November 2025.

The clarification follows Kanu’s formal letter of disengagement dated July 22, 2026, from the Sokoto Correctional Centre, which terminated Ejiofor’s services and directed him to stop representing Kanu, his family, or IPOB in any capacity.

Kanu stated that the engagement had earlier been terminated verbally, adding that the latest correspondence served as formal written confirmation.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Ejiofor set the record straight on his professional relationship with Kanu and IPOB:

“For the avoidance of doubt, and for the sake of clarity, I wish to state unequivocally that I personally disengaged myself from the legal representation of Nnamdi Kanu in any capacity since December 2023, long before his eventual conviction and the subsequent sentence to life imprisonment.”

Ejiofor further clarified the nature of his professional mandate, stating: “For the avoidance of doubt, Nnamdi Kanu never independently appointed us as attorneys to the IPOB.

His limited involvement in our appointment was solely in his capacity as his personal lawyer, from which we had, since December 2023, formally disengaged our services.”

He reiterated: “From December 2023 to date, I have not represented Nnamdi Kanu in any capacity whatsoever, whether as his private counsel, family lawyer, or otherwise. Any attempt to suggest the contrary is, at best, a deliberate distortion of the facts and, at worst, a calculated narrative designed to serve ulterior and mischievous purposes.”

The lawyer also disclosed that IPOB as an organisation has reaffirmed his firm’s 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,” he stated.

Ejiofor noted that between December 2023 and 2025, his firm secured the discharge and acquittal of over 200 alleged IPOB members across various courts—matters he described as “not founded on hearsay or conjecture” but “matters of public knowledge and readily verifiable.”

He also cautioned lawyers and the public against accepting unverified communications purportedly from inmates, reminding them that the Nigerian Correctional Service Act requires such communications to bear proper authentication from the officer in charge of the relevant correctional centre.

“This clarification is particularly important and should serve as a cautionary reminder to practitioners who are often quick to rush to report what are clearly unauthorised communications purportedly emanating from inmates, without first appreciating or verifying the applicable legal and administrative procedures governing such communications,” he said.

Ejiofor concluded: “Let the facts, therefore, speak for themselves. Let the records speak for themselves. And let those who are genuinely interested in the truth consult the records rather than manufacture narratives for purposes best known to them. We continue moving forward!”