The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, may overhaul his legal team and constitute a new one due to his continued detention by the Federal Government, Vanguard has learnt.
As a prelude to the disbanding of his legal team, Vanguard gathered that Kanu held a meeting with one of his trusted lawyers, Ejimakor, and instructed him to ask the team to return his case file to him without further delay.
Our Correspondent learned that Kanu is upset over what he considers the inability of the legal team to secure his freedom despite the expressed judgment of the Appeal Court, which freed him last year.
The IPoB leader is said to be angry that the disposition of the team emboldened the federal authorities to file fresh grounds of appeal against his release at the Supreme Court despite the freedom granted him by the Appeal Court.
The IPoB leader according to reliable sources close to him, is also said to be upset that his legal team has not been able to impress on the international community that he was actually discharged and acquitted as against the claim by the Federal Government that he was merely discharged and not acquitted, a development that formed the basis of the appeal at the Supreme Court by the government.
The development has widened the cracks within the organization, which was outlawed by the court but continues to push its secession ideology, which the Nigerian Government frowns at.
One of the sources close to IPoB leadership confirmed to Vanguard on Thursday that at a meeting with one of his trusted lawyers, Ejimakor last Monday, Kanu expressed disappointment over his continued incarceration despite being represented by what he considers as a formidable legal team
According to the reliable source, Kanu sent a strong and direct message to the leading figure in the legal team to consider returning the case file to him so that he could explore other options to resolve his legal quackmire and quicken his release from detention.
The source said, “Our leader, Mazi Kanu suspects that the legal team has not been pushing enough to secure his freedom and has told Ejimakor to tell the rest of the team that he is disappointed over the way they are handling the matter especially at the Supreme Court.
“The IPoB leader believes strongly that the legal team should have done everything possible to stall the new grounds of appeal recently filed by the Federal Government at the Supreme Court against his release as ordered by the Appeal Court late last year.
“Kanu is of the view that the failure by his team of lawyers to discharge the appeal the FG filed at the Supreme Court against his release by the Appeal Court is either due to the team not being proactive or being outwitted and overwhelmed by the Federal Government, which would prefer longer incarceration for him.
“In fact, from the way he spoke to Ejimakor on Monday, it was clear that he is very displeased with the tactics already deployed to get him out of detention and that is also sending jitters to members of the legal team with many senior lawyers who have been working day and night for his own welfare,” the reliable source said.
It was not clear as at the time of filing the report, when the case file would be returned to Kanu and if indeed, he wants to overhaul or rejig the legal team.
