The Special Counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, has raised alarm over threats to his life and a campaign of blackmail allegedly linked to his handling of the Biafran agitator’s legal battles against the Nigerian government.
Ejimakor said the threats began after Kanu’s legal victory against the Federal Government concerning his extraordinary rendition from Kenya in 2021. The IPOB leader was arrested in Kenya by security agents and forcefully returned to Nigeria, a move several courts later declared illegal. Despite being discharged and acquitted, Kanu has remained in custody.
Speaking in a recent podcast with Chief Chidi Nwanyanwu, Ejimakor described the immense pressure and personal risks he has faced while defending Kanu and the IPOB movement. “Since the court victories, I have been facing a lot of threats to my safety and persistent blackmail. Some of these people are even using our legal victories to secure asylum abroad. What greater evil can you see than that?” he said.
The lawyer revealed that his efforts in the Enugu High Court and other legal battles have come at great personal cost. “I have aged exponentially since 2021. This job has taken a toll on me, but I continue to work happily and proudly because I believe in the cause of justice,” he added.
Ejimakor also lamented that some individuals within the pro-Biafra community have questioned his legitimacy as Kanu’s lawyer. “When I filed a petition to overturn the declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organisation, they said, ‘You are not IPOB’s lawyer.’ But if I represent Nnamdi Kanu, who leads IPOB, then automatically, I am an IPOB lawyer,” he argued.
Despite challenges from the Federal Government and opposition from within, Ejimakor vowed to continue representing Kanu until justice is fully served.