‘Why The Sudden Panic?’ Ejiofor Reacts After Kanu Terminates His Services

Legal practitioner Ifeanyi Ejiofor has broken his silence following the decision by Nnamdi Kanu to terminate his services as personal counsel, questioning what he described as a sudden concern over confidentiality and warning that “time is fast running out.”

Ejiofor's reaction came after Kanu, the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), formally ended his legal engagement in a letter dated July 22, 2026, issued from the Sokoto Correctional Centre.

In the letter, Kanu directed Ejiofor to cease representing him, his family and IPOB in any capacity. He also warned the lawyer against making public statements on their behalf or disclosing confidential or privileged information obtained during the course of his professional engagement.

But in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Monday, Ejiofor suggested that he had deliberately remained silent for years despite what he described as repeated provocations and attacks against him.

He dismissed what he called “the curious panic of those confronted by nothing but silence,” insisting that his decision not to respond publicly to certain allegations was deliberate and informed by professional ethics.

According to Ejiofor, he had endured what he described as campaigns of blackmail, frivolous petitions to professional bodies and defamatory allegations allegedly linked to Kanu.

He further alleged that threats had been made against him while Kanu was in detention, claiming that instructions were allegedly issued to supporters to target him.

Ejiofor also said he had faced allegations concerning both his professional conduct and personal life but chose not to engage in a public war of words.

The lawyer maintained that his conduct throughout the period had been guided by his professional responsibilities and ethical obligations.

‘The Time Has Not Yet Come’

Ejiofor's response also touched on the issue of client confidentiality, which featured prominently in Kanu's termination letter.

Kanu had warned that Ejiofor was not authorised to disclose, publish, communicate, exploit or otherwise use confidential or privileged information obtained during his legal retainer without his express written authorisation.

He further cautioned that any breach could amount to professional misconduct and potentially lead to disciplinary action before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, alongside other possible legal consequences.

Responding to the warning, Ejiofor said he had no immediate intention of disclosing professionally obtained information, arguing that he had maintained silence despite having opportunities to speak.

“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,” Ejiofor said.

He suggested that the renewed emphasis on confidentiality may have been triggered by concerns over information that could potentially become relevant in court proceedings involving another party in an ongoing defamation case.

Ejiofor, however, did not disclose the details of the information to which he was referring.

He also maintained that he would continue to be guided by professional ethics and would not accept responsibility for actions or consequences arising from the conduct of another person.

‘Why The Sudden Panic?’

The former IPOB counsel further questioned the timing and circumstances surrounding Kanu's warning over confidentiality.

He described some of the correspondence surrounding his removal as “concocted or apparently forged correspondence hurriedly assembled by overzealous actors,” although he did not provide publicly available evidence in the statement to substantiate the allegation.

Ejiofor asked:

“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?”

His remarks appeared to suggest that he viewed the confidentiality warning as an attempt to prevent him from speaking publicly about matters connected to his former professional relationship with Kanu.

Ejiofor ended his statement on a cautionary note, saying that “time is fast running out.”

“For now, nothing has been said. And perhaps that is precisely what is causing all the lamentation. It is only a matter of time,” he added.

Kanu Had Directed Ejiofor To Withdraw From His Affairs

Kanu's decision to terminate Ejiofor's services was formally communicated in the July 22 letter from the Sokoto Correctional Centre.

In the letter, Kanu said Ejiofor's engagement had previously been terminated verbally and that the latest correspondence served as formal written confirmation of the decision.

He also withdrew any authority previously granted to Ejiofor to act on behalf of IPOB, arguing that the lawyer no longer had any express, implied or ostensible mandate to represent or speak for the organisation.

Kanu further directed Ejiofor to stop granting interviews, issuing press statements or publishing social media content on behalf of him, his family or IPOB.

The lawyer was also instructed to withdraw from any ongoing legal matters in which he remained counsel on record and to stop presenting himself as Kanu's legal representative before any court, forum or public platform.

Kanu's letter further warned against the disclosure of confidential information obtained during the course of the legal engagement.

The latest exchange between the two lawyers and their former client has now introduced a new dimension to the long-running legal controversies surrounding Kanu, with both sides taking sharply different positions over the circumstances surrounding the end of their professional relationship.

While Kanu has emphasised confidentiality and the withdrawal of Ejiofor's authority to represent him or IPOB, Ejiofor has maintained that his long silence was a deliberate professional choice and has now questioned the circumstances surrounding the decision.

Neither side's claims regarding the underlying allegations have been independently established in the material available for this report.