Federal high court in Abuja has ordered the president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to set up an investigative panel to evaluate the health condition of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice James Omotosho issued the order on Friday while ruling on an application seeking Kanu’s transfer from Department of State Services (DSS) custody to the National Hospital in Abuja for treatment.
Kanu’s lawyers argued that his health has been in “worrisome decline,” citing medical reports that flagged liver and pancreatic complications, a lump under his armpit, and dangerously low potassium levels. Counsel Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) told the court the reports were prepared by “one of the most respected professors of medicine” at a sophisticated Abuja laboratory. He said Kanu’s doctors acted properly without DSS involvement, stressing: “It is global medical practice for patients to seek a second opinion.”
The defence also suggested Kanu could be kept in a private ward at the National Hospital, with the location undisclosed for security reasons.
But Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), representing the federal government, opposed the request, insisting the DSS had provided adequate care for four years. He argued Kanu unilaterally changed his lead physician and medications, and questioned the credibility of his new doctor, who recommended treatment abroad.
“Why is he recommending America, when he knows fully well that the defendant is a flight risk?” Awomolo asked. He also raised concerns that Kanu’s supporters could attempt to free him if transferred to the National Hospital.
Awomolo further disclosed that the NMA had already set up a seven-member panel to review Kanu’s medical records alongside those of the DSS, and requested time to complete the work.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho affirmed Kanu’s right to health and life. “I wholeheartedly subscribe to the fact that the defendant needs to be alive to face his trial,” he said. But he noted that Kanu giving “exclusive control over his health” to a new physician without DSS involvement “raises suspicion.”
The judge ordered the NMA president to constitute a panel of 8–10 members, including the chief medical director of the National Hospital or a representative, to determine:
1. Whether Kanu is truly suffering from the reported medical conditions.
2. Whether DSS medical facilities are capable of handling his case.
The panel’s signed report, endorsed by the NMA president and secretary, must be submitted within eight days.
