OPINION: ‘Mama Biafra’ and Ifeanyi Ejiofor’s Judicial Hubris

Mrs Ukamaka Ejezie, popularly called ‘Mama Biafra’, was arrested outside the Federal High Court premises following the appearance of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in court weeks ago. The 80-year old grandmother’s offense for which she was whisked away remained in the realm of imagination. Neither the DSS nor the federal government had made any declaration to that effect. She is still languishing in solitary confinement!

The octogenarian-grandmother is said to be the foster mother of Kanu acting as his biological mother since his parents died few years ago. She has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) for weeks on end.

A statement released recently by one of Mazi Kanu’s legal representatives, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, indicated that the old woman was down with severe heart infection and could rarely breathe! If it is true that that woman was indisposed then the DSS must ensure she is released promptly or be allowed to seek medical help. Holding her hostage without charging her to court if she committed any offense runs counter to the constitutional provision as they regard freedom of association and movement.

It is unimaginable how a woman of such advanced age should be taken away against her wish in the first place. What is wrong with Buharism and why are they loathsome of the Igbos? Why is the DSS trampling on the rights of Nigerians with impunity? Or is it now a crime for one to associate with Kanu or assist in his trial in court? It boggles the mind how and why the DSS could have had the professional temerity to arrest the woman of such age!

Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor is from Oraifite town in Anambra State. He is my ‘brother’ if the land of one’s birth and state of origin are taken into account. His town is just dozens of kilometres away from my beloved Ihiala town, all in Anambra State. The fair-complexioned handsome lawyer has made money and name for himself by being the leading attorney representing the incarcerated Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Before Barrister Mike Ozekhome was drafted in Ejiofor had led the legal team comprising one Aloy Ejimakor and a few others. If Ejiofor and others were stellar in their legal performances they would not have sought the services of Ozekhome. Ozekhome joined the team to strenghten same and since he came in he had succeeded in getting some concessions from the trial Judge, Justice Binta Nyako — including allowing Kanu to watch soccer matches of his choice!

Ejiofor has garnered national and international fame by speaking out whenever he visited the detained Kanu in the DSS detention facility in Abuja or after every court appearance of his client. He always basks in the euphoria of reporting his encounters with Kanu behind bars! Or their banters in the open court.

Because of his legal role in defense of Kanu and IPOB elements his country home in Oraifite was invaded by unindentified security forces at wee hours of the night many months ago. He escaped death by the whiskers, locked up in his bunker! But his driver met his untimely dead at the hands of the killer-squad! The state armed terrorists that came visiting dead in the night came purposely to kill Ejiofor or take him prisoner.

Read also:OPINION :Pentecostal Terrorism!

If the Nigerian state terrorism machine under Buharism could kill thousands of our compatriots (especially those from the South-east) with impunity then nothing would have happened if Ejiofor were to be eliminated that fateful night! Noises would have been made here and there with human rights campaigners (at home and abroad) calling for probe and after a while everything would fizzle out. Lawyer Ejiofor must count himself lucky to survive that assassination attempt on his life!

It would be recalled that the American lawyer of Kanu, Bruce Fein, had last March written a letter to Ejiofor asking him to withdraw from Kanu’s defense team. He noted that Ejiofor was not eligible to defend Kanu against the Nigerian Government’s amended charges in the court, citing a pending lawsuit instituted by a businessman against Ejiofor over an alleged fraud of 5.6 million Naira!

Ejiofor had reacted to that weighty allegation but he had not succeeded in convincing anyone of his innocence. Was it true that he defrauded an unnamed businessman of millions of Naira? What really transpired between them? Is Ejiofor profiting from Kanu’s judicial travails or the entire Biafran independence struggle surreptitiously? Is he a conman masquerading himself as a respectable member of the bar?

If his professional character is being questioned then is it not proper that he recuse himself from defending Kanu in court?

Ejiofor’s public statements as regards his encounters with Kanu or the latter’s days in court in Abuja had been ridiculous and sometimes infantile. He always allowed his emotions to becloud his sense of judgement. Whenever I read any of his public statements I felt disgusted by his sentiments and emotions. Words like ‘umu-Chineke’ (children of God), ‘Chukwu-okike-abiama’ (the God that creates) and other emotional words tend to give Ejiofor away as a member of IPOB or a great sympathiser of their separatist cause!

His desperate attempt to whip up some ethnic sentiments in his declarations is at variance with his professional duty as a senior advocate. I have never seen a lawyer so emotionally attached to a client he represents to the extent of playing ethnic or sentimental card. Cases are not won that way!

His judicial hubris is a source of concern! He must therefore sit up and do the right thing throwing sentiments and emotions away in his defense of his principal.

We must call for the immediate release of mama Ukamaka Ejezie, ‘Mama Biafra’. If she is allowed to die in the DSS detention facility then Yusuf Bichi, the DSS boss, and his lawless goons must bear full responsibility.

Her blood would be on their heads!

AUTHOR: ozodinukwe okenwa

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Articles published in our Graffiti section are strictly the opinion of the writers and do not represent the views of Ripples Nigeria or its editorial stand.

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