Aloy Ejiofor, the former lead counsel to leader of proscribed Igbo separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has blamed his conviction and life improvement sentence on amateur lawyers who were only interested in what he described as “amateur legal showmanship” and “social-media theatrics.”
Ejiofor who was one of the lawyers sacked by Kanu in the heat of the case, said the lawyers who later took up the case displayed crass ignorance of the law and ended up bungling the case.
While reacting to the conviction of Kanu whom he had represented for over 10 years before withdrawing from the case in 2024, Ejiofor, alleged that the trial was pushed into a judicial ambush due to the actions of lawyers he described as clueless clowns and entertainers in wigs.
In a statement on Saturday, Ejiofor claimed that before his exit, the defence was close to achieving a new legal success following the Court of Appeal judgment.
He stated that during his time as Kanu’s lead counsel, his legal team had applied sustained pressure, strategic diplomacy, and airtight legal manoeuvring and had positioned the team for a major relief, but strategic information was allegedly leaked to individuals who lacked understanding of the complexity of the case.
‘These individuals derailed the ongoing engagements and treacherously orchestrating a change in the status quo, resulting in the dissolution of the legal arrangement he helped build.
“They were interested in self-representation and the prioritisation of social-media content over legal preparation.
“Instead of crafting a legal strategy, they crafted Instagram stories. Instead of mastering case law, they mastered camera angles,” he said.
The lawyer added that the actions of the new lawyers created contradictions and inconsistencies that prosecutors documented and later used against Kanu.
“The disengagement of experienced senior lawyers with
globally respected legal minds
from the case at the most critical moment opened up room for the prosecution to present a water tight case against Kanu.
“As it stands, any meaningful rescue effort would require cleaning up the monumental damage and drastically reducing publicity around the case.
“This is not the time for comedy. It is time for competence. Time for real advocacy,” he said.
