The legal representatives of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, have dismissed as “false and misleading” the Department of State Services’ (DSS) recent claims concerning his health condition.
In a statement signed by Onyedikachi Ifedi Esq., counsel to Kanu, the DSS was accused of spreading propaganda through sections of the media, while deliberately concealing the true state of his client’s deteriorating health.
DSS “Parading a Quack” as Medical Expert
The defence team faulted the DSS for allegedly introducing one Dr. Nasiru Mohammed—whom they described as “lacking the required competence to handle complex cardiovascular conditions”—into Kanu’s medical examinations.
“This is an individual with questionable credentials, imposed on Mazi Kanu’s medical team, despite having no expertise in treating the life-threatening conditions he faces, including potassium depletion and cardiovascular complications,” Ifedi stated.
Why Blood Samples Were Taken Abroad
The lawyer also raised questions over the DSS secretly flying Kanu’s blood samples to South Africa for analysis.
“If the DSS insists that nothing is wrong with our client, why send his blood samples abroad? Why not make the full and unedited test results public?” he queried.
Challenge to the DSS
Ifedi challenged the security agency to submit its position to open scrutiny.
“We call on the DSS to hold a public press conference where independent doctors and journalists can freely interrogate the facts of Mazi Kanu’s medical condition. If they are confident in their claims, let them prove it before the world,” he said.
Alleged Pattern of Intimidation and Cover-Up
The lawyer accused the DSS of routinely intimidating doctors into softening medical reports in order to mislead the courts into believing that Kanu is healthy enough to remain in detention.
He further alleged that some courts in Abuja have been complicit by unquestioningly accepting such reports, thereby endangering his client’s life.
Life Beyond Propaganda
Concluding, Ifedi stressed that Kanu’s life and health must not be reduced to political propaganda.
“The continued lies, concealment, and medical manipulation by the DSS must stop. The life of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a bargaining chip in their propaganda war. We will continue to expose every falsehood until the truth is brought to light, both before Nigerians and the international community,” he vowed.
