A member of the International Consortium of Lawyers for Nnamdi Kanu, Christopher Chidera, has alleged that procedural errors by the Indigenous People of Biafra leader’s former lead counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, and senior advocate Mike Ozekhome, SAN, contributed to Kanu’s continued detention and eventual conviction.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Chidera claimed that Kanu had secured his freedom after the Court of Appeal, on October 13, 2022, unanimously discharged him, declaring his extraordinary rendition from Kenya unlawful and holding that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to continue hearing the case.
According to him, the Federal Government subsequently filed a “stay of execution” application to prevent Kanu’s release. He alleged that the defence team failed to challenge the competence of the application by questioning the court’s jurisdiction to entertain what he described as a civil remedy in a criminal matter.
Chidera argued that rather than raising a preliminary objection, the defence team responded to the merits of the application, a move he said allowed the court to grant the stay and keep Kanu in the custody of the Department of State Services.
He further alleged that the development paved the way for the Supreme Court’s decision on December 15, 2023, which reversed Kanu’s discharge and revived the criminal charges against him.
The lawyer also accused Ejiofor of failing to accept responsibility when Kanu’s family sought explanations over the handling of the case, alleging that the counsel instead launched attacks against members of Kanu’s family.
Describing the development as a case of professional negligence rather than a defeat on the merits of the law, Chidera called for transparency and accountability from Kanu’s legal team.
Neither Ejiofor nor Ozekhome had responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
