The lawyer of the detained leader of the biafra/">Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has faulted claims by the Department of State Services (DSS) suggesting his client’s health concerns were exaggerated.
Onyedikachi Ifedi, Esq., in a statement on Thursday, accused the DSS of “false propaganda” and insisted that Kanu was not receiving proper treatment. He urged the agency to open its reports to independent scrutiny.
The Nation newspaper had quoted unnamed DSS sources saying Kanu was in stable health, and his complaints were attempts to whip up sympathy.
Ifedi countered: “The facts are simple and indisputable: the DSS has been playing hide-and-seek with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s health.”
He said the DSS introduced one doctor “whose credentials and competence in handling life-threatening cardiovascular conditions are in serious question.”
The lawyer said this raised doubt about the management of Kanu’s condition, which includes potassium depletion and aortic valve regurgitation—serious risks if untreated. According to him, sending blood samples to South Africa further suggested a cover-up.
“If indeed the DSS has nothing to hide, why has it refused to release the full and unedited test results for the world to see?” he asked.
Call for Transparency
Ifedi said the DSS lacked expertise to manage such conditions. “A security agency which does not even understand the clinical implications of aortic valve regurgitation or congestive heart failure has no business presuming to oversee healthcare,” he declared.
He challenged the DSS to hold a press conference where independent medical experts and journalists could interrogate its claims. “If the DSS is so confident in its position, let it subject itself to public scrutiny,” he said.
The lawyer also accused the DSS of influencing reports presented in court. “The modus operandi of the DSS has always been to pressure doctors into presenting reports that align with the government’s preferred position,” he claimed.
He alleged that Abuja-based courts have often accepted such reports without question, deepening mistrust in the judicial process.
Growing Anxiety About Kanu’s Health
Kanu’s detention since 2021 has remained a flashpoint in Nigeria’s politics. Igbo elders and political leaders have repeatedly called for his release, urging President Bola Tinubu to consider a political solution.
Ifedi reaffirmed that Kanu’s legal team would continue to press for accountability both locally and internationally. “The health and life of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu are not matters to be trivialised. We will continue to expose every falsehood and hold the DSS accountable before Nigerians and the international community,” he vowed.
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