The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has confirmed that it has carried out a court-ordered medical examination on the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, amid growing concern over his health and allegations of medical neglect in state custody.
Dr Ben Egbo, the association’s Secretary-General, told The PUNCH on Sunday that the evaluation was conducted in compliance with a directive issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja on 26 September. Justice James Omotosho had ordered the NMA to assemble a panel of medical experts to assess Kanu’s health within eight days and submit its findings to the court.
“The court gave an order that we should do it, and immediately the Department of State Services (DSS) wrote to us, we summoned a committee of seven doctors drawn from the seven geopolitical zones,” Egbo said. “They went there, examined him, and the report has been sent to the Attorney General of the Federation as instructed.”
The panel, comprising specialists in ophthalmology, neurology, urology, gastroenterology, and other fields, was also tasked with assessing whether the DSS hospital was capable of meeting Kanu’s medical needs. Egbo declined to disclose the committee’s conclusions, saying, “Any further inquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice.”
Kanu, who has been in DSS detention since June 2021 after his arrest in Kenya, had requested to be moved to the National Hospital in Abuja, citing deteriorating health. His legal team has repeatedly raised concerns about his treatment and living conditions in custody.
In a separate development, Kanu has petitioned the World Medical Association (WMA), alleging that his health has reached “a life-threatening threshold” due to inadequate care. The letter, dated 3 October and signed by his international counsel, Bruce Fein, was addressed to WMA President Dr Jacqueline Kitulu and copied to the Nigerian Medical Association, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, and the DSS.
According to the petition, Kanu’s health problems began after his alleged abduction and detention in Nairobi, where he claims he was denied food, water, and medication for several days. He says the effects of that episode have persisted through his detention in Nigeria, where blood tests have shown severe potassium deficiency and other complications.
“Whenever potassium supplements were withdrawn, his levels dropped again to life-threatening levels,” Fein wrote, alleging that one of Kanu’s assigned physicians falsified test results to indicate normal readings.
The letter listed further complications, including nosebleeds, chest pain, fainting spells, and swelling of the feet. It praised the intervention of Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji, a surgeon said to have stabilised Kanu’s condition, and claimed that subsequent tests confirmed multiple organ-related ailments, tinnitus, and sleep apnoea.
“Among the gravest threats to MNK’s survival today is tinnitus,” Fein stated. “It robs him of sleep, exacerbates hypertension, magnifies chest pain, and places him in immediate danger of stroke, collapse, or sudden death.”
The petition urged the WMA to press for the release of the NMA’s medical report and to ensure that independent doctors can continue Kanu’s care “without intimidation or interference.” It also called for an ethics review of medical personnel involved in his treatment.
The DSS has yet to comment on either the NMA’s examination or the allegations in Kanu’s petition. The agency currently has no official spokesperson.
