SaharaReporters had reported on Thursday, that sources quoted by Vanguard claimed Kanu was planning to reshuffle his legal team over his continued detention in the Department of State Services (DSS) custody by the Nigerian government.
axwell Opara, one of the Senior Counsels for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has described a widely circulated report that his client is planning to dissolve his legal team as a "lie from the pith of hell".
SaharaReporters had reported on Thursday, that sources quoted by Vanguard claimed Kanu was planning to reshuffle his legal team over his continued detention in the Department of State Services (DSS) custody by the Nigerian government.
As a commencement of the overhauling of the legal team, Kanu had held a meeting with one of his trusted lawyers, Aloy Ejimakor and instructed him to ask the legal team to return his case file to him without further delay, Vanguard further reported.
It was gathered that Kanu's action resulted from his belief that the legal team lacked the ability to secure his immediate and unconditional release from detention after the October 13, 2022 Appeal Court judgment which acquitted and discharged him.
Kanu is also reportedly not happy that the disposition of the team emboldened the Nigerian government to file fresh grounds of appeal against his release at the Supreme Court challenging the Appeal Court judgment, the sources further claimed.
The legal team was also said to have not done enough to impress on the international community that Kanu had been discharged and acquitted as against the claim by the Nigerian 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.
But reacting to the report, Opara, one of the Senior Counsels to Kanu, debunked the report as untrue which was calculated to cause disaffection among his team of lawyers.
Opara in a statement made available to SaharaReporters on Friday, stated "I just finished my matter at the FCT High Court, Gwagwalada, Abuja. I opened my WhatsApp only for me to see one stupid trending post captioned “Kanu sacked senior lawyer over poor representation”.
"Unfortunately, the confused and obviously paid hatchet writer did not mention the name of the particular senior lawyer allegedly sacked, since virtually all the lawyers in the legal team prosecuting Kanu's release from illegal detention by the Federal Government (who are ably led by our own erudite and renowned Prof Mike Ozekhome, San, CON, OFR, Ph.D), are senior lawyers.
"But to put the record straight, the entire story is a complete fabrication and a lie from the pith of hell. It was concocted and deposited by 4th columnists who want to reap where they did not sow.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I personally visited Mazi NNAMDI Kanu only yesterday (Thursday, 9th March, 2023) at the DSS headquarters where he is being detained. I spent over an hour with him till past 4pm.I had told him Prof Mike Ozekhome could not come physically because he was a little in the weather after his appearance at the Presidential Election Tribunal at the Court of Appea, Abuja.
"MNK screamed and told me to go straight from the DSS office to see him on his behalf and to know how he was doing. He said we should advise Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to have more rest because he still needs the learned Chief to accomplish the good work he has already started doing for him since he took over his defence.
"He made it clear that the learned Silk is a "game changer" who positively changed the entire narrative of his case as soon as he took over his defence, getting all the 15 courts charge quashed both at the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal, Abuja.
"Let me use this medium to inform the general public to ignore the most senseless post being circulated by mischief makers whose primary aim is get Prof Mike Ozekhome angry and abandon Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to his fate by withdrawing from his case and defence.
"I know what we went through before Prof Ozekhome accepted this brief to lead us in this matter. It is his involvement that resulted in quashing all the charges against MNK at the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal. Those who ran away and shunned MNK in his hours of travails are suddenly out to hijack the brief towards final success and take credit for a job they never did.
"And they include very senior lawyers known to us, but who are being used by one or two persons close to MNK. We shall soon expose them to the world if they do not retrace their evil steps.
"Meanwhile I have been able to speak with Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN and delivered to him the goodwill message of his client, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. MNK told me to inform Ozekhome that he so much cherishes the Prof for his hard work, trust, honesty, dedication and uncommon legal representation.
"He greatly appreciates all that Prof Mike Ozekhome has done and is still doing for him so far. He believes that God sent the courageous and cerebral Prof to deliver him from the hands of the Federal Government.
"We thank God Chief has since recovered and now taking some well-deserved rest in line with the Doctor’s advice. He has promised to visit MNK by Monday, 13 March, 2023, as he has always done. He will do this with Sir, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, another senior Counsel in the unshakeable formidable legal team."