Lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor has denied any involvement in the appeal against the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Although Ejiofor is listed as the lawyer for IPOB, Aloy Ejimakor is recognized as the legal representative for Nnamdi Kanu, the group’s leader.
Ejiofor’s position on his non-participation in the proscription case was conveyed through a statement issued on Sunday. In the statement, he addressed a tweet by Aloy Ejimakor, which he claimed misrepresented facts and wrongly associated him with the recent appeal regarding IPOB’s proscription. The judgment for the appeal was delivered on January 30, 2025.
Ejiofor clarified that he had no involvement in the case after the appeal was “clandestinely taken over” from him in 2022 by Machukwu Ume SAN and Aloy Ejimakor. He explained that their legal team had amended the entire appeal process, including the briefs and added new grounds for the appeal, which he was unable to explain, especially concerning the reasons for the appeal’s dismissal.
Ejiofor further revealed that when it became clear that the appeal was being taken over by Ejimakor and his team, he specifically requested that his name not be included in any of the processes they filed. “When their gimmicks became obvious that they were routing towards taking over the Appeal, I specifically but respectfully requested the learned Senior Advocate leading them, not to include my name on any processes they are filing, and clearly informed him that I have respectfully taken a bow,” Ejiofor stated.
He emphasized that the records showed that Aloy Ejimakor, who is now trying to associate him with the failure of the appeal, had consistently provided updates on the case when they were prosecuting it. Ejimakor never mentioned Ejiofor’s name during this time. Ejiofor found it suspicious that Ejimakor was now trying to involve him after the appeal’s dismissal, publishing a document that included his name as part of the team that represented the appellant.
Ejiofor asserted that the responsibility for the outcome of the appeal lies squarely with Aloy Ejimakor and his team. He called for Ejimakor to be held accountable for the details of the failed appeal. “As the primary force behind taking over the Appeal, Aloy Ejimakor and his team are fully responsible for its outcome. He should be held accountable for details of what happened in their case on Appeal, what led to their unsuccessful Appeal, rather than dragging my name into his failed legal outing,” Ejiofor added.
Ejiofor also accused Ejimakor of trying to associate him with the failure of the appeal. He stated, “I am not surprised that the master strategist is relentlessly seeking to associate me with failure, for which I will profusely resist and reject.” Ejiofor made it clear that he had no involvement in the case and that any attempt to mislead the public by linking him to it was deceptive. “Let it be clear that I distance myself from the proceedings and the outcome of the Appeal. Any attempt to mislead the public by linking me to it in any way, is both deceptive and unacceptable, and will not be treated with kids’ glove,” he concluded.
The legal battle surrounding IPOB’s proscription came to a head on Thursday when the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld the Federal Government’s decision to designate IPOB a terrorist organization. A three-member panel of justices, led by Justice Hamma Barka, unanimously rejected IPOB’s appeal and affirmed the ruling made by the Federal High Court, which had previously outlawed the group.
The court ruled that the Federal Government acted lawfully when it proscribed IPOB, citing the group’s activities as a threat to national security and the country’s continued existence. As a result, the court dismissed the appeal for lack of merit.
This ruling marked a significant moment in the ongoing legal proceedings regarding IPOB’s status, and the debate over the group’s proscription continues to evoke strong opinions from both its supporters and critics.
