. as Ejiofor chides Ozekhome’s critics
By Chuks Eke
The Directorate of State, DOS for the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB has dismissed speculations making the rounds in the social media that it has a mangled relationship with a legal icon, Prof. Mike Ozekhome SAN who lead a team of lawyers that secured legal victory for the IPoB leader, Nnamdi Kanu at the Nigerian Court of Appeal, Abuja on October 13, 2022.
Similarly, a Principal counsel to the IPoB, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor Esq KSC has thrown his weight behind both IPoB and Ozekhome, saying that their relationship is still cordial, jast as his sacrifices and achievements to the freedom fighters cannot be buried by the shallow grave of ingratitude.
IPoB said on the contrary, it has commended Ozekhone and would continue to show respect and appreciation to him and his team of lawyers for their courage and doggedness which led to the discharge and acquittal of Kanu of all the 15-count charge of treasonable felony slammed against him by the Nigerian government.
DOS in a press statement issued on Thursday by it’s Press Secretary, Dr. Okadigbo Chinwendum, said this clarification became imperstive as a result of blatant statements and write ups circulating online, some of which impugn on the integrity and professionalism of Ozekhome and emanating from quarters mostly unknown to the IPoB leadership and could be construed as being it’s position.
Ejiofor in his own press statement titled: When the righteous is in power, blamed those he described as certain unscrupulous elements, some btazen in their identify, others hiding in the shadows like night crawling had laboured to diminish the monumental contributions of one of Ozekhome, one of the most
celebrated human rights advocates, erudite schola, social crusader and legal iroko of our time.
According to Ejiofor, Ozekhome’s work in leading the defence of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a matter of opinion but of public record, yet, there are those determined to rewrite history with the corrosive ink of falsehood”.
“Over time, I have taken deliberate care to unmask these purveyors of poisonous rhetoric, those who craft incendiary, defamatory, and outright fabricated publications, designed not to enlighten but to mislead. My findings have been both sobering and revealing. Many of these attacks are not born of honest disagreement but are the handiwork of manipulation, orchestrated by forces that profit from discord”.
“Often, some of the so-called ‘authors’ may themselves be unaware of when or how such writings, bearing their names, are released into the public space. Fear of unseen consequences has become their prison, compelling them to swallow narratives they never chewed. But this veil of deception will not endure forever; all signs suggest that its tearing is nearer than many expect”.
“It is against this backdrop that I salute the courageous, disciplined, transparent, and focused leadership of this global peaceful movement, IPoB. In their unequivocal public clarification, they have rightly and firmly distanced the organisation from those mercenaries of mischief, procured to tarnish the name of Ozekhome, a man who stood like a fortress, traversing courtrooms and public spaces/functions, within and beyond Nigeria in pursuit of justice for Nnamdi Kanu”.
“This statement is not mere administrative housekeeping; it is an affirmation that integrity remains the backbone of our cause, and that gratitude is a duty, not a choice. His sacrifices and achievements is a matter of verifiable history. From the very outset at the Federal High Court, where the original 15-count charge against Nnamdi Kanu was challenged, eight counts were struck out by the court while ruling on our objection”.
“Dissatisfied with the retention of the remaining seven, Prof. Ozekhome led an appeal to the Court of Appeal. On 13 October 2022, in a unanimous judgment, the appellate court discharged and acquitted Nnamdi Kanu of those remaining charges. These resounding victories were all achieved in barely one year. It is to be noted that those earlier eight counts have never resurfaced, even after the resumption of trial. This is not a tale; it is tangible legal victory, secured through diligence, skill, and an unyielding commitment to justice”.
“Yet critics, armed with more venom than veracity, have twisted the narrative surrounding the Court of Appeal’s grant of a stay of execution. They cast undeserved blame out of sheer mischief or wilful ignorance, because the court improperly invoked civil procedure rules in a criminal matter”.
“But the proper course for any lawyer, bound by the ethics of the profession, is to challenge such rulings through the lawful channels of appeal, not to launch personal attacks on the Justices, nor to indulge in courtroom theatrics. Indeed, our notice of appeal to the Supreme Court explicitly includes a ground addressing this very issue. Those who peddle contrary expectations either lack legal knowledge or deliberately mislead”.
“Perhaps, in their fevered imagination, what they truly expected was to see a revered Senior Advocate leap over the bench on the day of the ruling and physically engage the Justices in combat, a grotesque display that would have satisfied their hunger for drama and content. Such absurdity betrays more about their understanding of the law, or the absence thereof, than any serious legal analysis could”.
“IPoB’s statement is not merely a shield for one man’s honour; it is a clarion call to discipline, unity, and gratitude. It affirms the truth that when the righteous are in authority, peace, love, and harmony are not just ideals, they become the climate in which a people thrive, even in seasons of trial”.
“The task before us is vast: to purge Ala-Igbo of the rot and evil that have for decades strangled its potential. This is not the work of a moment, but the unfolding of a promise, like the divine mission entrusted to Daniel in leading his people toward deliverance”.
“As we forward this press release, let history bear witness: liberation is never secured by those who trade in suspicion, slander, deceit, criminality, fraud, or dishonesty. It is secured, and kept, by those who build with steady hands, brick by brick, victory by victory, until the walls of injustice collapse under the weight of truth. Let us, therefore, walk in truth. For in truth, our freedom lies”, says Ejiofor.
