Indications have emerged that the legal term of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, may be contemplating an overhaul of his legal team following supremacy battle and allegations of fraud among the counsels as his case moves to the Supreme Court.
The federal government had in 2017 preferred charges of terrorism and treasonable felony against Kanu, whose organisation (IPOB) has since been proscribed by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Court of Appeal recently discharged the secessionist agitator, even as it later granted the stay of execution application brought before it by the government.
Speaking to Blueprint on the IPOB leader’s decision to rejig his defence team, a highly placed source said the detained IPOB leader was worried that some of his lawyers may be working at “cross purposes.”
According to hmm, “Nnamdi Kanu had complained bitterly that some members of his legal team may have lost sight of the end purpose hence were working at cross purposes, when there should be unity of purpose.
“I have it on authority that there has been cold war among some of his lawyers, due to supremacy issues. Two particular counsels have conflict over who will be the lead counsel, a situation that should not arise given clear hierarchy among lawyers.
“One of the senior lawyers had even made it clear that he could not work with another counsel on the defence team, who is his junior at the bar but insists on taking lead given his status among members of IPOB.”
Speaking further the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that: “From all indications, his disappointment may have reached a point of frustration, and that is to tell you how bad the situation may be at the moment. You know not all the lawyers representing Nnamdi Kanu appeared on a recent appeal filed by his legal team.”
Similarly, a senior security personal, who is familiar with the development, also told Blueprint correspondent that the IPOB leader complained seriously about decline of popularity in the South-east, and among his supporters, which he blamed on the actions of some of his counsel.
“This is a fact as in recent times the stay-at-home order has not been effevtive unlike before especially in Ebonyi, and Enugu states on Monday, November 7, as people were seen going about their lawful businesses without any form of molestation.”
