Trouble in IPOB legal team as US lawyer tells Ejiofor to withdraw from Kanu’s case

Trouble is currently brewing in the camp of detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, as his lawyers have resorted to attacking themselves.

The crisis came to a head when Kanu’s United States-based lawyer, Bruce Fein, asked one of the Biafran agitator’s lead counsels, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, to immediately withdraw from representing the secessionist leader.

In a letter written by Fein and made available to Ripples Nigeria on Friday, the US lawyer claimed Ejiofor was not eligible to defend Kanu against the amended terrorism charges filed against the IPOB leader by the Nigerian government because he (Ejiofor) had a pending fraud case in a different court.

In the letter he addressed to Ejiofor, Fein cited a pending lawsuit instituted by a businessman against Ejiofor over an alleged fraud of N5.6 million, noting that since Ejiofor had a case to answer, he should therefore recuse himself from Kanu’s defence team as he could jeopardise the case if a smart government lawyer should pick up on the fraud case.

Part of Fein’s letter reads:

“How can you be blind to what all the world can see and understand?

“According to the public record, you have a blatant conflict of interest in representing Nnamdi Kanu to defend against the Federal Government of Nigeria’s amended charges in the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja Judicial Division Holden in Abuja.

“The public record shows you have a conflicting interest to sabotage Nnamdi Kanu’s defense in exchange for leniency or a pardon in the pending fraud prosecution against you in FRN v. IFEANYI EJIOFOR & 2 ORS, CHARGE NO. CR/950/2020, Court No. 3, FCT High Court, Maitama, before Honourable Justice M.E. Anenih. The next hearing in your prosecution is scheduled for March 30, 2022.

“The public record establishes that the fraud charges were not concocted by the FGN to preempt your representation of Nnamdi Kanu.

“The record shows the charges were triggered by a complaint from a private businessman with no political or other ulterior motive to defame or handicap you: Okpala Comas Ikechukwu.

“Among other things, he stated in a complaint to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission that you defrauded him of N5,600,000.00 by conspiring to represent forged land or title documents as authentic.

Read also: IPOB accuses Buhari, Kenyatta of crimes against Nnamdi Kanu

“Nothing in the public domain demonstrates that you shared your conflict of interest with Nnamdi Kanu and received his knowing and voluntary written consent to represent him notwithstanding the conflict.

“You are saddled with a professional and personal duty to recuse yourself immediately from further representation of Nnamdi Kanu and to apologize for your neglect to do so earlier.”

Efforts by Ripples Nigeria to get Ejiofor to respond to the accusation by Fein before going to press were abortive as he neither responded to phone calls or messages sent to him.

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