The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday directed the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to constitute a panel of medical experts within eight days to evaluate the health condition of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Justice James Omotosho gave the order while ruling on an application seeking Kanu’s transfer from the Department of State Services (DSS) custody to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.
According to the ruling, the NMA President must ensure the committee submits its report within eight days to guide the court’s decision on whether Kanu should be moved for medical care.
The judge further directed that the panel should: Assess the DSS hospital to determine whether it can handle Kanu’s health needs; Be made up of 8–10 members, including a cardiologist and a neurologist; Include the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital as part of the committee; Be allowed to use any hospital in Nigeria for its investigations.
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Justice Omotosho said the measure became necessary following conflicting medical reports submitted by the DSS medical team and Kanu’s private doctors.
During the hearing, DSS lead counsel, Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), confirmed that a medical assessment team had already visited Kanu in custody.
He argued that the DSS medical team, led by Dr. Mohammed Nasir, found that Kanu’s condition could be effectively managed within DSS facilities. Awomolo warned that transferring the IPOB leader to the National Hospital could pose security challenges and disrupt services.
He also dismissed a medical report presented by Kanu’s private consultant, Professor Martin Aghaji, a retired professor of medicine from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, describing it as “exaggerated and suspicious.”
Awomolo alleged that Aghaji had unilaterally changed Kanu’s medication without consulting DSS doctors who had treated him for over four years.
However, Kanu’s lead counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), maintained that the request for transfer was based on Aghaji’s findings, which indicated that his client’s health was deteriorating.
Ikpeazu argued that the DSS lacked adequate facilities to handle Kanu’s ailments, stressing that it was in the “interest of justice” for the IPOB leader to remain alive to face the terrorism charges against him.
While noting that the defense team would not oppose the NMA’s involvement, Ikpeazu insisted that the court must prioritize Kanu’s right to proper medical care.
