The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to form a panel of medical experts to evaluate the health condition of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Delivering the ruling on Friday, Justice James Omotosho ordered that the panel’s report be submitted to the court within eight days. The outcome will help determine whether Kanu, who is facing a seven-count terrorism charge, should be moved to the National Hospital, Abuja, for more comprehensive treatment.
The judge instructed the NMA team to inspect the Department of State Services (DSS) medical facility to establish whether it can adequately cater for Kanu’s health needs. He also allowed the committee to use any hospital in Nigeria for its assessment.
According to the order, the panel should comprise eight to ten members, including a cardiologist and a neurologist, while the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital must be part of the team.
In a separate open letter, Kanu accused the federal government of employing judicial and executive manoeuvres to prolong his detention since his extraordinary rendition from Kenya in 2021. He cited various judgments from the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court which, he said, condemned the manner of his arrest, ruled on the illegality of his detention and addressed the revocation of his bail.
Kanu insisted that he will only appear before a court or judge whose authority meets constitutional requirements, adding that he will not submit to proceedings he believes to be biased.
