A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to set up a medical team to assess the health condition of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Justice James Omotosho issued the order on Friday while ruling on Kanu’s application seeking transfer to a private ward at the National Hospital, Abuja, for urgent medical attention over alleged life-threatening ailments.
The judge ruled that the NMA team, comprising between eight and ten members—including the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital or his representative—must evaluate both Kanu’s current health status and the adequacy of the Department of State Services (DSS) medical facilities where he is currently held. The team is also to determine whether Kanu requires transfer to the National Hospital and if his health challenges are serious enough to prevent him from standing trial.
Justice Omotosho ordered that the report of the team’s findings, signed by its Chairman and Secretary, be filed in the court’s registry within eight days.
At the resumed hearing on Friday, prosecuting counsel for the DSS, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), informed the court that the NMA had already constituted a seven-member team of experts to examine Kanu. He said the Federal Government invited the association to intervene due to conflicting reports about Kanu’s actual health status.
Awomolo opposed Kanu’s application for immediate transfer to the National Hospital, arguing that the complaints raised were not unusual or life-threatening. He requested a one-week adjournment to allow the NMA team to complete and submit its report.
Kanu’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), however, insisted that his client’s condition was serious and required urgent specialist care outside the DSS facility.
Justice Omotosho subsequently stood down proceedings to prepare a ruling on whether Kanu should be moved to the National Hospital as requested.
