‘Ailing’ Nnamdi Kanu again denied access to his doctor – Lawyer

Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, has accused the State Security Service (SSS) of denying Mr Kanu access to his medical doctor despite making a formal request to them.

Mr Kanu, facing terrorism charges at the Federal High Court, Abuja, is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The IPOB leader has been detained at the SSS facility in Abuja since he was rearrested and repatriated to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021.

Denial of access to doctors

Mr Ejimakor, in a series of posts on his X handle on Tuesday, said he and other members of Mr Kanu’s legal team visited him at the SSS facility on Monday.

The lawyer said they found the IPOB leader “ill, with shortness of breath, low blood pressure and general malaise” at the facility.

“For this reason, he requested to see his doctor, and we submitted a letter in this regard. Today (Tuesday), the doctor arrived at the SSS (facility) but was denied access to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” he said.

‘SSS admitted lack of expertise’

Mr Ejimakor claimed the SSS knew that Mr Kanu was “susceptible to potassium deficiency, which affects the heart’s function.”

The lawyer claimed the SSS diagnosed the condition about three years ago and that the SSS had also “confessed to their lack of the expertise to treat the problem.”

He claimed that the inability of the SSS to treat the earlier condition may have caused Mr Kanu’s current illness.

“The readings of the electronic heart monitor supplied by the SSS have been recording low-pressure levels for nearly nine days in a row without any medical intervention to ascertain whether the blood potassium level is within the clinically acceptable range,” he said.

“This, no doubt, is very serious and deadly to boot.”

SSS silent

When a PREMIUM TIMES reporter contacted the spokesperson of the SSS, Peter Afunanya, on Tuesday night, he beckoned on the reporter to ask his question.

After hearing the questions, Mr Afunanya requested the reporter to give him some time. He promised to call back.

But after several minutes, the spokesperson declined to take further calls from the reporter.

He was yet to respond to a WhatsApp and text messages seeking his comments.

Not the first time

This is not the first time Mr Kanu has been denied access to his medical doctors.

The IPOB leader, in 2022, repeatedly requested access to his medical doctors to enable him to conduct an independent medical examination, ordered by the Federal High Court, Abuja, on 20 October 2021.

However, the SSS declined to allow him access to his doctors.

Angered by the SSS’ action, Mr Kanu, through his lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome, sued the SSS at the Federal High Court Abuja.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2341/2022, the IPOB leader prayed to the court for an order granting him unhindered access to medical doctors.

Through their lawyer, A.M. Danladi, the SSS asked the court to discount the application, arguing that records show the IPOB leader was “clinically stable.”

The secret police insisted that Mr Kanu had been receiving adequate medical attention at its facility.

But delivering the judgement on 20 July 2023, the judge, Binta Nyako, ordered the SSS to grant Mr Kanu access to his medical records and doctors.

Ms Nyako hinged her decision on Section 7 of the Anti-Torture Act, 2017, which provides that a person arrested, detained or undergoing custodial investigation shall have the right to demand a physical and psychological examination by an independent and competent doctor of his choice after interrogation.

The court said Mr Kanu was constitutionally entitled to his medical records and personal physicians for “an independent medical examination.”

It further held that the independent medical examination should be supervised by the SSS, with the entire process recorded and sealed for security purposes.

As a result, the SSS released Mr Kanu to see his medical doctors about nine days after the ruling.