Favor Michael Kanu, wife of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has pleaded with Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja High Court, who is presiding over her husband’s trial, not to let him die in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), where he is currently incarcerated.
Kanu’s wife, who made the request in an open letter to the presiding judge on Thursday, criticized the Nigeria Medical Association, or NMA, panel’s findings on her husband’s health.
According to the medical assessment provided by the prosecuting team at court on Thursday, Kanu does not have any life-threatening health issues and is eligible for trial.
However, in the open letter, Kanu’s wife questioned the report’s assertions and the manner in which they were presented.
She insisted that her spouse is gravely ill and needs immediate medical attention outside the DSS facility.
Kanu’s wife begged the presiding judge to transfer her husband to any other medical facility in Abuja rather than letting his condition deteriorate at the same DSS Clinic.
Concerned about the excessive delays in the trial process and the theatrics surrounding the medical report, Kanu’s wife begged Justice Omotosho not to betray her trust in him.
The letter read in part: “When your Lordship took over Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case in March 2025, if my memory isn’t failing me, I believed strongly justice was at hand, having read about your impeccable reputation and astute judgement. However, with the recent happenings in court, I can only wonder if the attributes were exaggerated.
“My despondency stems from two main reasons: the current indecisiveness in every court sitting, which is a big contrast to the “accelerated hearing” you called for when you came onboard, stating how the matter had lingered far too long, putting in cognizance Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a father, husband, brother, and son. The dramatic turn of events is looking like a deliberate plan to keep stalling the case while the defendant languishes in the DSS dungeon.”
Kanu’s wife questioned the technique of delivering the NMA’s medical report, calling it unethical.
“The deteriorating health condition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, caused primarily as a result of the torture and the inhumane treatment meted out on him when he was illegally brought back to Nigeria from Kenya. He was dumped in a dark, poorly ventilated cell in the DSS dungeon, with no access to treat his wounds or reach out to his loved ones.
“Your Lordship, you mandated the Nigerian Medical Association to conduct a medical assessment on the defendant because obviously, you were in doubt of the report from MNK’s seasoned doctors. The body never conducted nor submitted any medical report as reported. Rather, the DSS came up with a disjointed report, which was reportedly presented in court today unethically.
“Your Lordship, you are not ignorant of the state of the medical system in Nigeria; virtually all politicians, office holders, the elites, etc., fly to other countries with their kids for medical attention, including the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, because they lack faith in their own country’s medical system. I can also guess you do the same.
“Why then will your Lordship deny Mazi Nnamdi Kanu the opportunity to be transferred to at least any ‘manageable’ hospital in Abuja rather than subjecting him to that poorly equipped DSS health center, the same environment and same people that kept him in that condition?
“In one of the court sittings, you mentioned that MNK has to be alive and healthy to stand for his case. What changed, Your Lordship? Why is MNK’s failing health not being taken seriously? Does his life not matter to you? I make bold to say that Nnamdi Kanu has been gravely victimized for too long.”
