Nnamdi Kanu terminates lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor

A public dispute has erupted between Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and his former longtime lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, over legal representation and authority within the organization. The conflict centers on a letter from Kanu, dated July 22, 2026, formally terminating Ejiofor's services and revoking any authority to represent him, his family, or IPOB.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Ejiofor asserted that he had voluntarily withdrawn as Kanu's personal counsel in December 2023, long before Kanu's eventual conviction and life imprisonment sentence. He stated that any suggestion he continued to act in that capacity is false. However, Ejiofor drew a sharp distinction, maintaining that his law firm remains under a continuous retainer as legal representative for IPOB as an organization. He cited court records showing his team secured the discharge and acquittal of over 200 alleged IPOB members in various Nigerian high courts between December 2023 and 2025.

Kanu's letter, reportedly sent from the Sokoto Correctional Centre where he is imprisoned, served as a formal written confirmation of an earlier verbal...