Former lead counsel to IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has blamed Thursday’s conviction of the separatist leader on what he described as “amateur legal showmanship” by those who took over after his exit.

In a strongly worded statement released on Saturday, Ejiofor said Kanu’s case was dragged into a “judicial ambush” due to the actions of “clueless clowns” and “entertainers in wigs,” alleging that they lacked the competence to handle a sensitive terrorism trial.

He accused the new handlers of focusing on fame instead of law, saying:

“Instead of crafting a legal strategy, they crafted Instagram stories. Instead of mastering case law, they mastered camera angles.”

Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja after being found guilty on seven terrorism-related charges, a verdict that has renewed debates across the South-East.

Ejiofor, who represented Kanu from his first arrest in 2015 until withdrawing in December 2024, said the legal team had been close to another major breakthrough following the Court of Appeal’s 2022 ruling that discharged and acquitted Kanu over his unlawful rendition from Kenya.

The Federal Government later secured a stay of execution, keeping him in detention.

According to him, earlier successes were the product of “sustained pressure, strategic diplomacy, and airtight legal manoeuvring.”

But internal conflicts erupted after confidential strategies were leaked to individuals who had “no proper understanding of the case,” eventually collapsing the structure he helped build.

He called for renewed engagement by seasoned legal experts and a strategic, less public approach going forward.

“This is not the time for comedy,” he said. “It is time for competence. Time for real advocacy.”