Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, or IPOB, has officially fired Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, his longstanding personal attorney, and instructed him to cease representing him, his family, or IPOB in any capacity. Kanu stated in a letter from the Sokoto Correctional Center dated July 22, 2026, that Ejiofor's engagement as his personal legal representative had already been terminated informally and that the most recent correspondence served as official written confirmation of that decision.
Kanu insisted that Ejiofor no longer had any stated, implied, or seeming permission to speak or act on behalf of the separatist group and withdrew what he described as any power previously granted to the lawyer to act for or represent IPOB.
Kanu cited Section II, Subsection A of the IPOB Code of Conduct and stated that, absent a specific delegation, the IPOB leader alone has the authority to name, suspend, or remove principal officers. He asserts that the organization cannot legitimately nominate or maintain legal representation if any person, committee, or past office holder violates the IPOB Code of Conduct. As a result, he insisted that Ejiofor's alleged authority or mandate to represent IPOB was no longer acknowledged.
Kanu ordered the attorney to immediately stop speaking in public, giving interviews, releasing press releases, or posting on social media on behalf of IPOB, his family, or himself. Additionally, he instructed Ejiofor to cease representing himself or IPOB in any court, forum, or public setting and to take the necessary legal action to withdraw from any ongoing cases in which he was listed as counsel.
“Accordingly, I hereby place you on formal notice that you are not authorized to disclose, publish, communicate, exploit, or otherwise use any confidential or privileged information acquired in the course of your retainer, whether directly or indirectly, for any purpose whatsoever, except as required by law or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, without my express written authorization from me.
“Any unauthorized disclosure or misuse of privileged information may constitute professional misconduct and may give rise to disciplinary proceedings before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, as well as any other remedies available under the law,” parts of the statement read.
Kanu warned that any unapproved disclosure of sensitive material or violation of client confidentiality might be considered professional misconduct and result in disciplinary action before the Legal Practitioners.