Human rights lawyer and leading counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has disclosed that he has survived multiple assassination attempts by both state and non-state actors due to his advocacy for the group.

Ejiofor, a Knight of St. Christopher, said he survived the attacks while defending IPOB agitators, specifically on December 2, 2019; June 6, 2021; and September 21, 2021.

He stated this while speaking to journalists after his 50th birthday celebration in Asaba, Delta State, explaining that the threats began after he accepted a legal brief from the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, in 2015, a case that many senior lawyers reportedly declined out of fear.

He said, “I accepted the legal brief pro bono because I found out that they were wrongfully arresting the agitators and locking them up for no just cause. It is not a crime for one to express his displeasure legally when things are not going the way it ought to.

“Kanu brought me in and asked me to discuss my terms. I told him that since he had sacrificed himself for the good of the Igbo cause, I would defend the same cause on a pro bono basis. So, in April 2017, I secured his release from detention.

“However, in September of that year, state actors invaded his home, killing many people around the compound before he narrowly escaped the country. After Kanu’s escape, I became the next target.

“On December 2, 2019, at the instigation of someone from my hometown in Oraifite, who acts as a ‘thin god,’ they launched a deadly attack on me at my house. The second attack on my life on June 6, 2021, was even bloodier, resulting in the killing of my assistant, whose body was taken away by the assailants. The case is still in court and the matter came up in court recently.

“The third attack on me in September 2021 saw my car riddled with bullets, but God saved me. By His special grace, I am alive today to celebrate my 50th birthday and I will forever remain grateful to the Almighty.”

On what has become the current state of IPOB and the struggle, the lawyer stated that the activities of the Finland-based Simon Ekpa gave credence to the Court of Appeal’s recent judgment affirming IPOB as a terrorist organisation.

Ejiofor insisted that Ekpa destroyed and criminalised the struggle for Biafra, adding that before now, the average person believed in the struggle for Biafra’s independence, but today, trust and confidence in the movement have declined, due to the criminal activities of the infiltrators.

He averred that Ekpa’s activities after the arrest of Kanu negatively influenced the public perception of IPOB, adding that between 2015 to 2018, every youth or reasonable Igbo person was eager to adorn IPOB regalia and anyone who could not do so, saw himself as not belonging to the Igbo struggle, but today, the reverse is the case because of the criminal activities of those who have infiltrated the struggle.

He said, “I have had the privilege of reading parts of the Court of Appeal judgment affirming IPOB as a terrorist organisation recently. I heard the observation made by one of the justices. If I may summarise, he said the concept which established IPOB was accepted by all Igbos, but in the course of the struggle, some criminal elements hijacked the process and turned it into a criminal and violent organisation.

“It was sweet, that was exactly what compelled me to get involved by defending them pro bono, because I asked, ‘Why is the government arresting them for seeking to have their state?’ which is not a crime. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the activities of Simon Ekpa.

“When he started, I fought him in the media and went to court with him. The case is still in court. I was shouting that this man was a fraudster, and most people started attacking me, calling me a betrayal.

“Ekpa took advantage of the situation that presented itself at the time and led our people into committing crimes, acts of terrorism, kidnapping, killings, raping, and trafficking in human parts. That changed the entire orientation of the movement. It took time to explain to the average Igbo person that Ekpa was not speaking for them.

“Today, some have started realising that he caused more harm to the struggle and the entire Igbo land. Due to the situation, he recruited many IPOB members and Igbo youths and used them to commit crimes and the public then erroneously believed that the IPOB was committing these heinous acts.

“When you arrest those Ekpa criminal elements, they will say they are IPOB members. We must make a distinction between IPOB and Ekpa and his Biafra in exile group.

“Today, if a referendum is conducted, I don’t think any Igbo man would be happy to vote for the state of Biafra because of the atrocities Ekpa committed against them. How can you claim to be fighting for your people’s freedom while you are killing and kidnapping them? Ekpa destroyed the IPOB concept and implanted his criminal concept among his followers.”

He further averred that judging by Ekpa’s actions; it will be difficult to convince the court that IPOB is not a terrorist organisation, stating that Ekpa’s actions justify the Court of Appeal’s affirmation of IPOB as a violent and terrorist organisation. (Text, excluding headline: The PUNCH)