My legal services to Nnamdi Kanu were strictly pro bono — Ejiofor
By Henry Nnaemeka
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, a human rights lawyer and former lead counsel to detained separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has again denied allegations that he was paid professional fees while representing the embattled leader in court, insisting that his services were rendered strictly on a pro bono basis.
Ejiofor, in a statement issued via Facebook on Thursday, said he had repeatedly challenged anyone claiming he received payment during the years he led Kanu’s legal team to produce verifiable proof.
According to him, despite restating his position publicly for at least three years, no individual has presented any credible evidence to contradict his claim.
“I have stated publicly, emphatically, unequivocally, and repeatedly that any person who possesses evidence of the payment of my professional fees throughout the years I led Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s legal team should produce such verifiable evidence and make it public,” he said.
The lawyer stated that the allegations resurfaced after some individuals who claimed to have visited Kanu at the Sokoto Correctional Centre alleged on their platforms that he had been secretly paid for the legal representation, and that they had proof of such payments.
He described the claims as baseless and illogical, adding that the allegations had now taken a new twist with accusations that he authored a petition against Kanu’s pending appeal at the Court of Appeal.
Ejiofor dismissed the claims as “laughable and bizarre,” warning that such statements could negatively affect the ongoing legal proceedings.
He specifically challenged two individuals identified as Obinna, also known as Methuselah Nwanne Chineke, and Immanuel Joshbriliem Joshua, popularly called Bishop JCI, to immediately publish evidence to substantiate their allegations.
According to him, failure to do so would compel him to pursue legal action against them.
“In the unlikely event that they fail, refuse, or neglect to do so, I shall be constrained to activate all available legal remedies to hold them accountable within the full ambit of the law,” he stated.
Ejiofor added that while he would ordinarily ignore such claims, repeated falsehoods could mislead the public if left unanswered.
Kanu, the leader of the proscribed IPOB, is currently facing trial in Nigeria over charges bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony.
