Former lead counsel to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has issued a scathing and deeply unsettling account of what he describes as the “avoidable judicial ambush” that led to Kanu’s conviction—blaming what he called “amateur legal showmen” and “entertainers-in-wigs” for derailing years of strategic legal progress.
Ejiofor, who handled the high-profile case for nearly a decade, said he had hoped to remain silent but was compelled to speak following “an avalanche of calls, messages, and trembling voices” from concerned Nigerians.
In a strongly worded statement, he declared:
“Silence is no longer an option. I am compelled to offer sober introspection, especially as someone who painstakingly steered this case through landmark victories while surviving threats, assassination attempts, and countless risks.”
“We Were on the Brink of a Major Breakthrough”
Ejiofor revealed that before the legal team changed in 2023—after Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, assumed leadership in 2022—Kanu was on the verge of securing another major relief following the Court of Appeal judgment that discharged and acquitted him.
He blamed what he termed “clueless clowns” for sabotaging sensitive legal strategies by leaking privileged information and destabilizing established processes.
“Rather than support a strategy they barely understood, they seized confidential information and used it to orchestrate a treacherous change in the status quo,” he alleged.
Ejiofor said his team exited “with integrity intact,” but the case soon fell into the hands of people who turned a sensitive international trial into “a grotesque parody of legal representation.”
“They Turned a High-Profile Trial Into Social Media Content”
Ejiofor painted a disturbing picture of chaos, incompetence, and vanity:
“Instead of crafting legal strategy, they crafted Instagram stories.
Instead of mastering case law, they mastered camera angles.”
He alleged that the new handlers prioritized posing, filming, and chasing online virality over research and professional preparation, even as Kanu’s fate hung in the balance.
“They Encouraged Dangerous Self-Representation”
One of the most damning claims was that despite explicit court warnings against self-representation in such a complex criminal matter, these individuals encouraged Kanu’s decision—cheering him on “like spectators in a village arena.”
Ejiofor said this reckless guidance directly contributed to:
- A trial that could have been paused.
- A conviction that could have been prevented.
- An outcome that was entirely avoidable.
“They railroaded him into the savage pit of a full criminal trial, fully aware that lawful alternatives existed,” he said.
He added that the misinformation they spread outside the court became “landmines inside the courtroom,” noting:
“Every exaggerated update became a contradiction for the prosecution to weaponize.”
“A TikTok Legal Carnival”
Ejiofor questioned how globally respected Senior Advocates—such as Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, and Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN—were edged out at the most critical moment of the trial.
He asked pointedly:
“Who replaces world-class physicians with herbal storytellers during brain surgery? Who replaces strategic diplomacy with reckless grandstanding?”
He said the answer was simple:
“Only a system already preparing for disaster.”
The Path Forward: “First, Clean Up the Damage”
Ejiofor called for the intervention of credible, globally respected legal minds but warned that their first task must be to “clean up the monumental damage inflicted by self-advertising jesters.”
“This is not the time for comedy. Not the time for inflated egos. Not the time for social-media theatrics.
It is time for soberness. Time for competence. Time for real advocacy.”
He ended with a direct declaration:
#EnoughIsEnough
