The medical controversy surrounding the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, escalated over the weekend, following confirmation that the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has submitted its court-ordered health report to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
This development comes as Kanu’s legal team simultaneously petitioned the World Medical Association (WMA), alleging a deterioration of his condition due to poor medical care and potential record falsification while in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, had ordered the NMA on September 26, 2025, to constitute an eight-to-ten-member panel of medical experts to conduct an independent assessment of Kanu’s health.
The panel’s core mandate was to determine his fitness to stand trial and assess whether the DSS medical facility could adequately manage his ailments, or if a transfer to the National Hospital was medically necessary.
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The NMA’s intervention was prompted by conflicting medical reports. Kanu’s private consultants, led by a renowned emeritus professor, had detailed serious concerns, including issues affecting his liver, kidneys, and prostate, alongside life-threatening conditions like a sustained, dangerously low potassium deficiency and chronic tinnitus causing severe sleep deprivation. Conversely, the DSS medical team maintained that his condition was stable and manageable internally.
Dr. Ben Egbo, the NMA Secretary-General, confirmed that the team of specialists had completed the court-mandated examination of Kanu and transmitted their findings to the AGF. The submission is a crucial step that will inform the court’s decision, expected on October 8, 2025, regarding his medical welfare.
Adding a critical ethical dimension to the case, Kanu’s legal representatives filed a formal petition with the WMA, the global body overseeing medical ethics.
The petition dated October 3, 2025, accused DSS-assigned doctors of potential professional misconduct, specifically alleging the manipulation of medical test results and negligence that allowed his condition to worsen.
The petition urgently called upon the WMA and the NMA to ensure the release of the final report without interference and to protect the independent practitioners involved in his care from retaliation.
Kanu personally asserted in a statement that the untreated conditions, particularly his tinnitus-induced sleep deprivation, placed him in “immediate danger of stroke, collapse, or sudden death,” emphasizing the need for immediate, impartial, and specialized medical attention outside of his current confinement.
The outcome of the NMA’s findings will determine the immediate next steps in this high-profile medical and legal battle.
