The family of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has accused the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) of harassing members of his independent medical team, alleging that the actions are aimed at intimidating physicians who provided medical care while issues relating to his health remain before the Court of Appeal.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday by Prince Emmanuel Kanu on behalf of the Okwu-Kanu Family, the family alleged that Kanu’s health was severely mismanaged during his detention in DSS custody, resulting in life-threatening complications.
According to the statement, an independent medical team led by Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji found Kanu suffering from critically low potassium levels, uncontrolled hypertension, impaired kidney function and cardiac abnormalities when they were eventually granted access to him.
The family claimed the medical intervention by Professor Aghaji and his team significantly improved Kanu’s condition, stating that his potassium levels increased while symptoms including nosebleeds, fainting spells, swollen feet and persistent headaches subsided.
It further alleged that instead of commending the physicians for their intervention, the DSS petitioned the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, accusing Professor Aghaji of unethical medical practice over changes made to Kanu’s treatment.
The family also alleged that Professor Aghaji was abducted by armed men believed to be DSS operatives after Kanu had been transferred from DSS custody to the Nigerian Correctional Service. It claimed the professor was taken to Abuja and later Lagos, where he was detained for two nights before being released.
The statement further disclosed that another member of Kanu’s medical team, Dr. Charles Ndukwu, has been summoned by the MDCN Investigation Panel, describing the move as part of what it termed a coordinated effort to intimidate independent medical practitioners involved in Kanu’s treatment.
The family argued that the dispute over Kanu’s medical examination ordered by the Federal High Court on September 26, 2025, is currently pending before the Court of Appeal and is therefore sub judice.
It maintained that its current petition does not seek to revisit the pending litigation but rather calls for an end to what it described as continued harassment of Kanu’s physicians and seeks unrestricted access to independent medical care while he remains in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Among its demands, the family called for the immediate withdrawal of the MDCN summons against Dr. Ndukwu, the suspension of proceedings involving Professor Aghaji, an independent investigation into the alleged falsification of Kanu’s medical records while in DSS custody, and an official explanation regarding the alleged abduction of Professor Aghaji.
The statement also urged the Nigerian Correctional Service to assume full responsibility for Kanu’s healthcare in accordance with the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Mandela Rules.
The family disclosed that copies of its petition had been forwarded to the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel, as well as relevant Nigerian institutions and international human rights organisations.
It appealed to the Nigerian authorities to respect the judicial process by refraining from actions that could undermine pending court proceedings and called on the public and the international community to monitor developments surrounding Kanu’s healthcare and the treatment of members of his independent medical team.
The DSS and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria had not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the statement as of the time of filing this report.
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