Human rights lawyer, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has condemned in the strongest terms the assassination of his legal colleague, Barrister Rolex Ifeanyi Iloakasia, and his client, in what he described as a “targeted execution” that occurred shortly after a court session on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
In a statement he personally signed and released on Friday, Ejiofor, who also represents the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), expressed outrage and sorrow over the killings, which took place at the Nanka-Agulu boundary in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Gistcore had reported on Thursday that the Anambra State Police Command confirmed the assassination of the lawyer and his client in a brazen daylight attack by yet-to-be-identified armed men at Egbebelu village, Nanka, Orumba North Local Government Area of the state.
The Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, had said the lawyer had earlier secured the bail of an accused person in a pending murder case at High Court II, Ekwulobia.
According to him, preliminary investigations revealed that the victims were ambushed by unidentified gunmen operating on a motorcycle while returning from the court session, having been trailed and double-crossed by the assailants.
Describing the incident as more than a random act of violence, Ejiofor stated, “This was no random act of banditry. It was a targeted execution, a chilling message to the legal community and a direct assault on the justice system itself.”
Ejiofor warned of a growing trend of violence against members of the legal profession in the state, asserting, “This heinous act fits an increasingly familiar and disturbing pattern: lawyers in Anambra State are being hunted, silenced, and killed with impunity.”
“This is not just a threat to the legal profession, it is a grave danger to the very fabric of our democracy,” he added.
Ejiofor called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at both the state and national levels to respond decisively and ensure justice for the murdered lawyer and his client.
According to him, “This is not just a threat to the legal profession, it is a grave danger to the very fabric of our democracy.”
He demanded a full-scale, transparent, and expedited investigation into the murder, stressing, “The perpetrators must not escape justice.”
He also asked the NBA to, “Declare a period of mourning. All legal professionals in Anambra should don black armbands and suspend non-essential court appearances in solemn protest.
“Convene an emergency meeting with the Anambra State Government and security agencies to immediately implement protective measures for legal practitioners.
“Document and revisit all previous attacks on members of the Bar in Anambra State. We must insist on resolution and justice for every unresolved killing.
“Prepare for a statewide boycott of court proceedings if credible action is not initiated within a clearly defined timeline.”
Ejiofor stressed, “Let it be known: We will not be intimidated into silence. Legal practitioners must never be forced to operate under the shadow of death. Today, it is Barr. Iloakasia. Tomorrow, it could be any of us.”
He emphasized that the killings were not just personal tragedies but an attack “on the rule of law, on due process, and on the values that hold our society together.”
Offering his condolences, Ejiofor said, “To the family of the late Barrister Iloakasia, the Aguleri community, the Nigerian Bar Association, and the wider legal fraternity, I offer my deepest condolences.
“May their souls find peace, and may justice, swift, unwavering, and complete, be done.”
He warned, “Silence is complicity. Injustice to one is injustice to all.”
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