Legal practitioner Ifeanyi Ejiofor has reacted after his removal as the personal counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, saying he remained silent over the years despite alleged threats and sustained attacks.

Ejiofor’s reaction allegedly follows a decision conveyed in a letter dated July 22, 2026, from the Sokoto Correctional Centre, which formally terminated his services and cautioned him against making public statements or disclosing confidential information obtained during his legal engagement.

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

He alleged that, over time, a client orchestrated campaigns of blackmail against him, filed what he termed frivolous petitions before relevant professional bodies, and made several defamatory claims. He further claimed that threats were issued against him from detention, with instructions allegedly given to supporters to target him.

According to Ejiofor, he also faced allegations concerning his professional conduct and personal life but chose not to respond publicly out of respect for legal ethics and professional responsibility.

The former IPOB counsel argued that the recent emphasis on client confidentiality only emerged after it became apparent that certain evidence could be presented in court in defence of another party in an ongoing defamation case.

“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,” he said.

Ejiofor maintained that his actions have consistently been guided by professional ethics, adding that he would not be held responsible for the consequences of another person’s conduct.

He also declined to respond directly to what he described as “concocted or apparently forged correspondence hurriedly assembled by overzealous actors,” while questioning the timing of the warning on confidentiality.

“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?” he asked.

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

The directive removing him as counsel also warned that any unauthorised disclosure of confidential information could amount to professional misconduct and attract disciplinary action before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, among other legal consequences. (The Nation)