REPORTS have indicated that the health of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, has deteriorated, as he had been diagnosed with gastrointestinal disorder following persistent heartburn, his lawyer and human rights activist, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said on Monday.
According to him, despite the order of Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court in Abuja that the IPOB leader should be given serious medical attention, the Department of State Services (DSS) has been acting on the contrary.
Kanu has been detained in DSS custody for about 14 months and is facing trial in court over alleged treason charges.
Ejiofor raised the alarm in a statement after his visit to Kanu in the custody of the DSS in Abuja. While stating that court orders must be obeyed, particularly where the order has not been set aside, he contended that DSS is a creation of the law and must not be seen to be operating above the laws of the country which created it.
Ejiofor stated: “Presently, Kanu is experiencing gastrointestinal disorder, which requires regular intake of antacid and other availing medical solutions, following persistent heartburn. Unfortunately, the DSS have denied him the least of the prescribed painkiller tablets that could provide momentary relief.
“Following this development, our erudite lead counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has immediately swung into action to ensure an immediate end to this maltreatment and impunity. Nevertheless, we still deem it compelling to place the world on notice, that should anything untoward happen to Kanu, the DSS and the Federal Government of Nigeria should be held responsible.
“Highlight of the visit was to review other pending litigations initiated against the Federal Republic of Nigeria for their grave violation of international laws and treaties in their criminal abduction and extraordinary rendition of Kanu, sanctions and reparation arising from this act of state terrorism.
“The visit also afforded us the opportunity to review the overall welfare of the IPoB leader, as well as the level of the DSS compliance with existing court order in the management of his health condition.
“For the record, it is pertinent to reiterate that for the umpteenth time, the lawless DSS has continued to treat with greatest contempt/disdain the existing court order, which specifically directed that Onyendu should be allowed access to his personal medical doctor for an independent review/ investigation of his current health status. This is following the continued depletion of his potassium level.”
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Meanwhile, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which is the apex organisation for the people in the South East, has reacted to the development, saying Kanu must not die in the custody of the DSS. In a statement issued and signed by its national publicity secretary, Dr Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, Ohanaeze recalled the position of a political solution as his case is beyond the court or force.
The statement read: “The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide has been drawn to the deteriorating health of the leader of IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu.
“Information reaching us indicates that he is currently suffering from gastrointestinal illness, which necessitates the constant use of antacids and other available medical treatments.
“The DSS has refused to allow him have even the smallest amount of the prescribed painkiller, which could have given him short-term respite. The above report should be very worrisome to any fair-minded patriotic Nigerian. This is because it is self-evident that the Nnamdi Kanu phenomenon is a product of circumstances. It is rather an outcome, or the effect of the orchestrated alienation of the South East from the centres of power in Nigeria, especially since the onset of President Buhari administration.
“Several patriots such as Chief E K Clarke, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Dr Bitrus Pogu among others have decried the unjust treatment to the Igbo of the South-East.
“The governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, in a humane and patriotic candour stated that the marginalisation of the South-East geopolitical zone by the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is crazy and unprecedented.”
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