The leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has officially ended his legal relationship with Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who had represented him and the separatist group in court since 2015.
In a letter dated July 22, 2026, and addressed to Ejiofor, Kanu described the correspondence as a formal termination of the lawyer’s legal representation, coming after a previous “direct verbal communication” to the same effect.
The letter was reportedly written from the Sokoto Correctional Centre, where Kanu is currently serving a prison sentence. The sender’s address on the letter reads: “Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Sokoto correctional centre, Sokoto, Sokoto state, Nigeria.”
An NBA stamp and a notary public stamp bearing the name Kelechi D. Ogbonna were both appended to the letter. A copy was published on X by Aloy Ejimakor, a legal consultant to Kanu, and subsequently shared with journalists.
In the letter, Kanu said that despite being verbally told his services were no longer required, Ejiofor had continued to act as counsel to the group. The IPOB leader stated that with effect from the date of the letter, Ejiofor no longer had any legal authority to represent him, his family or IPOB.
Invoking the IPOB code of conduct, Kanu said he held the power to appoint and dismiss principal officers of the organisation. He demanded that Ejiofor immediately stop representing or speaking on his behalf, his family’s behalf or that of IPOB, and warned him against disclosing any confidential information obtained during the course of the legal representation.
“As the Leader of IPOB and the holder of the exclusive authority vested in me under the Code of Conduct, I hereby reaffirm that any authority previously granted to you to represent IPOB has been withdrawn,” the letter reads.
“Consequently, any purported mandate, instruction, or authority claimed to derive from any individual or body acting contrary to, or without, the authority recognized by the IPOB Code of Conduct is not recognized by IPOB and cannot serve as a lawful basis for you to hold yourself out as legal representative of IPOB or to make representations on its behalf.
“Refrain entirely from making any public statements, comments, interviews, press releases, or social media posts purporting to speak on my behalf, on behalf of my family, or on behalf of IPOB, or to disclose or rely upon confidential or privileged information acquired during your retainer.
“Cease and desist from presenting or portraying yourself, directly or indirectly, as my legal representative or as legal representative of IPOB in any forum, court, or public space.
“Take all appropriate procedural steps required by law to cease acting as my legal representative on record in any matter in which you remain listed, including filing the necessary notices where applicable.
“During the course of your representation of me and IPOB over several years, you acquired confidential, privileged, and legally protected information relating to my legal affairs, my family, and the affairs of IPOB.
“Those obligations of confidence survive the termination of your retainer and remain binding indefinitely under the applicable rules governing legal practitioners.”
This is not the first time Ejiofor’s position as Kanu’s legal representative has been called into question. In June 2023, Kanu’s younger brother, Kingsley Kanunta, announced that Ejiofor and senior advocate Mike Ozekhome had been dismissed by the family. Ejiofor, however, disputed the claim, saying only Kanu himself could terminate the arrangement — and that no such instruction had come from him. He stopped appearing for Kanu later that same year.
In March 2025, Kanu brought on former Attorney-General of the Federation Kanu Agabi to lead his defence in the terrorism trial. By October 2025, Agabi and the rest of the senior defence team had withdrawn, with Kanu opting to represent himself.
In November 2025, the IPOB leader was sentenced to life imprisonment on terrorism charges and transferred to the Sokoto Correctional Centre.