A former lawyer to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has explained how $19,000 was mistakenly paid into his bank account and later returned on the instruction of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Ejiofor made the clarification on Sunday amid claims that he received payment for defending Kanu in court.
The lawyer said it was mischievous for anyone to suggest that he was paid to represent the IPOB leader, insisting that his legal services were rendered on a pro bono basis.
According to him, the $19,000 credited to his account was paid in error and was immediately returned to the intended recipient after Kanu personally contacted him.
He added that Kanu informed him that the transfer was a mistake and subsequently provided the account details of the person to whom the money should be sent.
Ejiofor noted that he complied with the instruction and transferred the funds on the same day they were received. He also stated that he would publicly disclose full details of the transaction on Monday.
The controversy followed claims by a woman identified as Nnennaya Anya, who said she is the Head of the Directorate of Finance of IPOB, that $19,000 was paid to Ejiofor for services rendered to Kanu.
In a statement circulated online, Anya alleged that the payment was made on August 9, 2021, shortly after Kanu’s arrest and extradition to Nigeria, describing the transfer as a humanitarian and advocacy payment in support of his legal representation.
She further claimed that the funds were wired from an account at Chase Bank in the United States into Ejiofor’s domiciliary account at Fidelity Bank Plc in Lagos under the beneficiary name “Ben I. Ejiofor & Company.”
Anya also alleged that a total of $100,000 had earlier been paid to senior lawyer Mike Ozekhome and Ejiofor while they served as legal representatives to Kanu. She additionally claimed that another ?10 million payment was made to Ejiofor through an office manager.
However, Ejiofor dismissed the allegations, reiterating that he neither requested nor received any payment for representing Kanu.
In a statement titled “Important Clarification to Discerning Minds,” he said the payment in question was immediately retrieved by Kanu through formal correspondence in which the IPOB leader insisted the transfer had been made in error.
“Consequently, and strictly in compliance with his express instruction, the funds were returned on the very same day they were credited to my account,” Ejiofor said.
He added that the communication authorising the return of the money remains in his possession and would be made public alongside the transaction receipt and account details of the proxy who eventually received the funds.
Ejiofor also accused those making allegations against him of attempting to tarnish his reputation, claiming they were individuals enriching themselves through the Biafra agitation.
He maintained that at no time did he charge or receive payment to represent Kanu in Court.
