ABUJA, Oct 16 (The African Portal) – A medical panel set up by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the health condition of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is not life-threatening.
The panel was established on the orders of Justice James Omotosho to determine Kanu’s actual medical condition, following conflicting reports from doctors engaged by the Department of State Services (DSS) and Kanu’s defence team.
In a report submitted to the court on 13 October, and partly read in open court on Thursday, the panel concluded that Kanu is fit to stand trial.
Justice Omotosho said the court was satisfied with the findings and directed that the trial should continue. Kanu was granted six consecutive days, starting from 23 October, to open and close his defence.
The judge also approved a request by defence lawyer Kanu Agabi (SAN) for a private consultation between Kanu and his legal team, citing concerns that their conversations might be monitored by the DSS.
The private meeting is to be held in the courtroom on 22 October between 9am and noon, ahead of the trial’s resumption the following day.
Kanu, who faces charges of treasonable felony and terrorism, has been in DSS custody since his arrest in 2021 after being extradited from Kenya. He denies the allegations.
