A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Nigerian Medical Association to establish a medical panel within eight days to evaluate the health status of detained Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Justice James Omotosho delivered the ruling on Friday, instructing the NMA President to submit the committee’s findings within the specified timeframe. The assessment will determine whether Kanu requires transfer to the National Hospital for medical treatment.
The court mandated that the medical committee should examine the Department of State Services hospital facilities to ascertain their capacity to address Kanu’s healthcare requirements. Justice Omotosho granted the NMA committee freedom to utilise any hospital across Nigeria for their investigation.
The panel must comprise eight to ten NMA members, including specialists in cardiology and neurology. The Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital has been designated as a mandatory committee member.
This decision emerged following contradictory medical reports submitted by the DSS medical team and Kanu’s private medical consultants.
The Department of State Services’ lead counsel, Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo, revealed the NMA’s involvement whilst opposing Kanu’s legal team’s application for his transfer to the National Hospital for urgent medical care.
Awomolo stated that medical experts had previously examined Kanu in DSS custody. He explained that the DSS medical team, headed by Dr Mohammed Nasir, maintained that Kanu’s condition could be properly managed within DSS medical facilities.
However, Kanu’s private consultants, led by Professor Martin Aghaji, a retired University of Nigeria, Nsukka medicine professor, contended that his declining health necessitated immediate transfer to the National Hospital. They suggested potential treatment abroad might be required.
The DSS rejected Aghaji’s assessment as “exaggerated and suspicious,” particularly questioning his recommendation for foreign hospitals. They accused him of independently modifying Kanu’s medication without consulting DSS doctors who had treated him for four years.
“Transferring Kanu to the National Hospital would disrupt services and create security risks,” Awomolo argued. He emphasised the federal government’s commitment to Kanu’s safety whilst allowing access to medical experts of his choice within DSS premises.
Kanu’s lead counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, defended the transfer request based on Aghaji’s medical findings. He argued that DSS facilities lacked adequate resources to manage Kanu’s medical conditions.
“It is in the interest of justice that Kanu remains alive to face the terrorism charges against him,” Ikpeazu stated.
Ikpeazu confirmed his team would not oppose the NMA’s intervention, provided the court formally orders it.
The IPOB leader has remained in DSS custody since his controversial rendition to Nigeria in 2021 to face terrorism-related charges.
