EKO HOT BLOG reports that an American lawyer representing Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Bruce Fein, has demanded the withdrawal of lead counsel to the group, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor from the legal team.
In the letter circulating on social media, which the U.S lawyer directed to Ejiofor, he claimed he [Ejiofor] was not eligible to defend Kanu against the Federal Government’s amended charges in the court.
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Giving his reasons, Fein cited a pending lawsuit instituted by a businessman against Ejiofor over an alleged fraud of N5.6 million.
According to him, Ejiofor had a case to answer, insisting that the allegations were not concocted by the Federal government.
He, therefore, called on Ifeanyi Ejiofor to immediately withdraw from Kanu’s legal team.
The letter read; “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, Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015 in violation of Rule 10 of the Nigerian Rules of Professional Conduct.
“The public record shows you have a conflicting interest to sabotage Nnamdi Kanu’s defence 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 motives 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.
“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.
“As the Bible preaches (Matthew 6: 24): ‘No one can serve two masters.’ I expect you to do the right thing.”
Reacting to this, Ejiofor, debunked the allegations levelled against stating that Fein had some grievances against him because he did not have access to Kanu when he was in Nigeria, SaharaReporters reports.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor noted that he was the one who appointed Fein as the spokesperson for Kanu and never expected such from Fein.
He said, “Don’t mind him (Fein). I will send you a letter which I used to appoint Fein as Kanu’s representative. I appointed Nnamdi Kanu’s spokesperson in the United States and now, because he was unable to see Nnamdi Kanu here in Nigeria, he was alleging that I was the one who stopped him from seeing Kanu. He has no locus to start writing anything.”
Ejiofor, however, failed to address the alleged pending lawsuit instituted by a businessman against him over an alleged fraud of N5.6 million.
The lawyer also did not say if he would withdraw from Kanu’s legal team.
This online media platform recalls that in September 2021, operatives of the Department of State Services barred IPOB’s American lawyer, Bruce Fein from seeing Kanu when he visited with the legal team.
According to the DSS officials, the American lawyer and a British diplomat, who was also denied access, were foreigners.
Fein had in May 2021 filed a lawsuit on behalf of IPOB in the US to revoke the six A-29 Tucano fighter jets sold to the Nigerian government and also block the remaining six from being conveyed to the country.
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