The family of the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has raised concerns over what it described as threats to his life, alleging sustained medical neglect and harassment of his independent medical team while calling for urgent intervention from relevant authorities.
A statement issued on Wednesday by Prince Emmanuel Kanu on behalf of the Okwu-Kanu Family accused the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) of targeting Kanu’s personal physicians despite ongoing legal proceedings over his medical condition before the Court of Appeal.
The family alleged that while Kanu was in DSS custody, his health was “systematically neglected and mismanaged,” claiming that state-appointed doctors allowed his potassium level to fall to what independent physicians described as a life-threatening level capable of causing cardiac arrest.
According to the statement, Kanu also suffered from poorly managed hypertension, deteriorating kidney function and untreated cardiac complications before an independent medical team led by Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji was granted access to him.
It claimed that following the intervention of the independent medical team, Kanu’s potassium level improved from 2.1 mmol/L to 2.9 mmol/L, while episodes of nosebleeds, fainting, light-headedness, swollen feet and persistent headaches reduced significantly.
“The DSS did not save Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s life. His personal physicians did,” the family stated, alleging that rather than being commended, the doctors have since faced intimidation and persecution.
The family further alleged that the DSS petitioned the MDCN against Prof. Aghaji over medication adjustments considered medically necessary by the independent team.
It also claimed that Prof. Aghaji was abducted by armed men believed to be DSS operatives after Kanu had been transferred from DSS custody to the Nigerian Correctional Service, while another member of the medical team, Dr. Charles Ndukwu, has been summoned by the MDCN’s Investigation Panel.
Describing the actions as a coordinated campaign against independent medical practitioners, the family demanded an end to what it called harassment of Kanu’s doctors, withdrawal of disciplinary proceedings against them, unrestricted access for Kanu to his chosen physicians and a transparent investigation into the alleged falsification of his medical records.
The family also disclosed that copies of its petition had been forwarded to the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel, as well as Nigerian institutions and international human rights organisations.
Meanwhile, in a separate petition addressed to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), a copy of which was obtained by THE WHISTLER, Kanu urged the association to intervene, insisting that his life remains in danger and accusing authorities of continuing to harass his independent medical team.
In the petition, Kanu alleged that he suffered systematic medical neglect while in DSS custody, claimed his medical records were falsified by state-appointed doctors, and complained that his earlier petition to the NMA dated September 29, 2025, had received no response.
He maintained that issues relating to the court-ordered medical examination remain before the Court of Appeal and were therefore sub judice, stressing that his latest petition was not intended to relitigate the case but to seek protection for his physicians and ensure continued access to independent medical care.
Kanu also appealed to the NMA to publicly condemn the alleged harassment of his doctors, establish an independent oversight mechanism for healthcare involving prisoners and detainees, and intervene to guarantee what he described as his right to adequate medical treatment under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules).
(The Whistler)
