…Family insists on sack of Ozekhome, Ejiofor

….Nobody can stop me from visiting Kanu -Ejimakor

From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

The controversy over the legal representation of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, generated recently is yet to die down.

Kanu’s family had last week announced the sack of Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, and Ifeanyi Ejiofor as counsel to the IPOB leader, citing some alleged wrong doings.

This is even as another of Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor has said nobody can stop him from visiting the IPOB leader at the DSS headquarters.

The family in a fresh statement at the weekend said that there was no way Ozekhome and Ejiofor, the two sacked counsels of the IPOB leader, could impose themselves on Kanu as his counsels.

The IPOB leader family’s position was against the backdrop of reports making the rounds that the two dropped lawyers made claims they were still the defence counsel in the Federal Government’s case against Kanu.

Insisting that the family’s decision in debriefing the counsels was final, spokesperson of the family, Kanunta Kanu, in a statement he said was to throw more light on why the family took the action, stated that Kanu’s legal representatives were absent in court on October 28, 2022, while stay of execution was granted against their client.

Kanunta accused Ozekhome of not making any attempt to see Kanu after the four months long adjournment of the matter.

The statement read in part: “On October 28, 2022, Nnamdi Kanu’s legal representatives were absent in court while stay of execution was granted. Who represented Nnamdi Kanu on this particular day and why?

“As lawyers to Nnamdi Kanu, why is their so-called client still in detention on mere stay of execution (civil proceedings)?

“He Ejiofor and Ozekhome were directed by Nnamdi Kanu to inform the family  to see him with General Physician and Ear specialist, did he (Ejiofor) or Ozekhome inform the family? 

“Has Ozekhome seen Kanu after the  four months illegal long adjournement?

“Let me stop here for now. That team has been debriefed since May 15, 2023. I’m proceeding with strong petition against Ozekhome and Ejiofor”.

Kanunta said as far as the family was concerned, Ozekhome and Ejiofor have ceased to be Kanu’s counsel.

Meanwhile, Ejimakor, one of the lawyers of Kanu, in a Tweet said nobody can stop him from visiting the IPOB leader at the DSS headquarters.

Reacting to an earlier statement by the IPOB Directorate of State (DoS), warning him to stop taking doctors to their leader in the DSS detention facility without the knowledge of lead counsel, Ozekhome, Ejimakor said that nobody can stop him from visiting Kanu.

“For the statement that someone has banned me from visiting Kanu at DSS, all I can say is that according to the court order on visitation, it’s only Kanu that has the power to choose who visits him and he has not banned me,” he said.

Corroborating the position of Kanu’s family, Ejimakor in a statement insisted that Chika Edoziem of the Department of State of IPOB cannot ban him from visiting the IPOB leader at the DSS, saying that it was only the IPOB leader that could place such a ban on him.

Ejimakor’s statement read in part: “My attention has been drawn to a defamatory press release presently in active publication and circulation, signed and distributed by one Chika Edoziem, purporting to be leader of IPOB Department of State, stating that he has banned me from visiting my client, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the DSS where he is being detained extrajudicially and unconstitutionally.

“Additionally, in the same press release, the said Chika Edoziem stated that he has banned me from taking independent doctors to the DSS to visit Mazi Nnamdi Nnamdi Kanu for the purpose of making an independent assessment of his present health care needs. In the same token, the said Chika Edoziem uttered warnings, grave threats, innuendoes and false allegations against my person and the Kanu family.

“First, let me make it crystal clear that, according to the court order on visitations with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, it’s Mazi Nnamdi Kanu alone that possesses the sole power and discretion to choose whoever he desires visitation from.

“No other person can choose or impose visitors on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, not even the DSS, the Nigerian government, the courts, the IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyers or relatives”. 

Based on this, Ejimakor said that Edoziem and others have no place in this matter of who is approved to visit Kanu, whether it is his lawyers, doctors or his relatives.

Ejimakor stated it was Kanu alone that has the power to invite a medical doctor of his personal choice to have a visitation with him. 

“He had done it in the past, in August 2022 to my knowledge, and even as the visitation was mysteriously blocked at the last minute, my efforts and follow-up with the doctor generated the very first and only independent medical opinion that is being used today by all his lawyers and others in advancing his cases and pressing for the urgent medical attention he required since the rendition.

“For avoidance of doubt, it was Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who directly assigned this task to me as part of my complex brief as his Special Counsel and as part of the all-round efforts to garner the urgent independent medical care that he requires”. 

While noting there was nothing special in arranging for medical doctors that will examine the IPOB leader at the DSS that requires his exclusion and that of the family, Ejimakor said it was unfortunate Edoziem was part of the conspiracy that had blocked the two doctors chosen by  Kanu to visit him on June 6, “just because I was the lawyer that had – as part of my brief and instructions – prepared the letter of introduction the DSS had demanded for the visitation at the last and critical minute.

“This is shocking and ominous to say the least, but leaving that aside for the moment, let me sound this note of warning: When you block independent medical doctors from visiting Mazi Nnamdi Kanu even when you knew that it was him that personally choose those doctors and invited them, you must know that you are deliberately endangering his life. Think about it.

“More so, it is pertinent to drum it home that it is inherently evil for anyone to use the life-and-death matter of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s health to settle phantom scores with his family or any of his lawyers.

“So, going forward, any person who is still walking this dangerous path should be well-advised to cease, desist and pedal back. If you persist, the gutsy Mazi Nnamdi Kanu the whole world knows will soon stop you, because it is so wrong and he doesn’t play with his health like you are doing at the moment”.

Ejimakor said that it was unbelievable that Edoziem could inform the world that his aborted visit to Kanu together with his family and the two doctors was blocked because it constituted danger to the life, health and safety of Kanu, saying nothing could be farther than the truth.