Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer petitions World Medical Association over IPOB leader’s failing health
The legal team of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has written the World Medical Association, WMA, over the deteriorating health of the agitator in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS.
The letter, dated October 3, 2025, was written by the law offices of Bruce Fein, Washington D.C., and addressed to Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu, President of the World Medical Association.
The Registrar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, the Director General, Department of State Services, DSS, the Nigeria Medical and Dental Council, and the President of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, were all copied in the letter.
The letter informed the World Medical Association that Kanu has been denied proper medical care for four years, since his arrest in Kenya and rendition to Nigeria in 2021. It noted that the IPOB leader is currently suffering life-threatening ailments that arose due to his incarceration in solitary confinement.
The letter asked the WMA to investigate the alleged manipulation of Kanu’s medical records by the DSS.
Parts of the letter read: “I represent Biafran leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a nation with a population of over 70 million. He has been detained in a Nigerian dungeon in solitary confinement for more than four years without a trial. He was kidnapped and tortured in Nairobi, Kenya in June 2021. Both Kenyan and Nigerian authorities were the perpetrators of the crimes, according to a July opinion of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued in July 2022. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been deprived of proper medical care by Nigerian authorities for acute ailments caused by the Kenyan-Nigerian governments. The deprivation has now reached a life-threatening threshold as elaborated below.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is asking that the WMA intercede with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), warning of suspension from WMA for unethical practices regarding Mr. Kanu unless his medical care without tarry satisfies the highest professional care and his critical care providers are left free from intimidation, harassment, or prosecution.
“Among other things, we summon the WMA to undertake the following, directly or through the Nigerian Medical Association:
Investigate and address the manipulation of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s medical records in the Department of Security Services (DSS) custody.
Protect independent medical practitioners from retaliation for providing medical care to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, particularly Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji, whose intervention has been lifesaving.
Guarantee the immediate release of the NMA medical team’s report of 22 September 2025, which Nigeria’s Federal High Court has directed must be filed within four days.
Recognize and respond to the grave risks posed by untreated conditions, especially tinnitus-induced sleep deprivation, which continues to endanger Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s life.”
Giving a background of Kanu’s case, the letter included a testimony of how the IPOB leader was arrested in Kenya, repatriated to Nigeria, and subsequently detained in DSS custody.
The letter said: “The following is the undisputed testimony of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu (MNK) corroborated by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in directing his immediate and unconditional release by the Government of Nigeria. On arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi in June 2021, MNK was violently abducted by masked operatives, manhandled, and dragged into captivity. For eight days, MNK was chained by the leg to a wall in a pitch-dark, windowless room.
“On the very first day, MNK’s head was slammed against the edge of a car door, resulting in an open wound that bled onto his clothing. The pain was sharp, his vision blurred, and dizziness set in almost immediately. For the first five days, MNK was denied even the basic essentials of life: no food, no water, and none of his long-prescribed medications. This deprivation nearly suffocated MNK, producing severe difficulty in breathing and overwhelming weakness.
“On the fifth day, when his body began to fail, a doctor was summoned. His blood pressure was dangerously high. MNK was given a 40mg dose of Amlodipine along with a strange red wine–coloured liquid. Soon after, a cardiologist performed an ECG examination, but its results were never disclosed to MNK, who was treated as an object, not as a patient, with strict instructions issued to the doctors not to explain or converse. From the evening of that fifth day until MNK’s forced rendition from Nairobi to Abuja on the eighth, MNK was compelled to ingest 40mg Amlodipine daily, an unidentified white tablet, and an unmarked gel-like substance.
“MNK’s treatment in Kenya — earmarked by brutality, secrecy, and denial of basic medical rights — left him gravely weakened by the time of his criminal unlawful transfer to Nigeria.
“At the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) facility in Abuja, MNK was immediately placed on 10mg Amlodipine and a diuretic. There was no improvement in his condition.
“Within days, MNK was moved to the DSS detention facility. Blood analysis there revealed a life-threatening potassium deficiency. MNK’s levels had collapsed to a life-ending 1.9 mmol/L. MNK was then placed on: potassium supplements; Amlodipine 10mg/Valsartan 160mg; Eplerenone 50mg; Bisoprolol 5mg (later increased to 10mg). Whenever potassium supplements were withdrawn, MNK’s levels plummeted again to the same life-threatening range. At one stage, the DSS sent MNK’s blood samples to South Africa for testing, which confirmed severe potassium depletion but gave no explanation for its cause. Rather than pursue the potassium depletion, the DSS dismissed the honest doctor who had recommended further investigations and replaced him with Dr. Nasiru Mohammed.”
“Falsification of Medical Records and Continuing Symptoms: From the moment he assumed control, Dr. Nasiru Mohammed began falsifying MNK’s test results, recording normal potassium levels when in reality they were dangerously low. When challenged as to why a potassium-sparing drug like Eplerenone was still prescribed if MNK’s potassium was supposedly normal, he provided no medical justification. Under his faux care, MNK continued to experience:
Frequent nosebleeds, fainting episodes and near-collapse, severe light-headedness, unrelenting chest pains on his left side, debilitating headaches and swelling of the feet.
“Over 50 blood samples have been taken during MNK’s time in DSS custody, but these have yielded no improvement in his health under the management of DSS-appointed doctors.
“The Role of Independent Physicians: MNK’s longtime personal physician, Dr. Cfine, who has treated him faithfully for decades, was barred from access and intimidated into silence. This exclusion lasted until the intervention of Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji, a globally respected surgeon and medical teacher. It was his timely intervention that saved MNK from imminent collapse. Under his professional and ethical care:
MNK’s potassium level rose modestly from 2.1 to 2.9 mmol/L — still below safe levels, but a clear sign of genuine medical progress.
MNK’s episodes of nosebleeds, fainting, and light-headedness ceased.
Swollen feet reduced, and the headaches subsided to occasional rather than constant.
In addition, Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji confirmed and documented broader systemic health problems, including:
Liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder, prostate, and white matter disease
And most critically, tinnitus — the constant internal “chirping” sound in MNK’s ears that often makes sleep impossible, still persists, and makes his life unbearable.
It is no exaggeration to say that without Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji’s intervention, MNK’s health would have deteriorated beyond recovery. Yet instead of supporting him, the DSS has subjected him to the same pattern of intimidation used against Dr. Cfine.”
The letter stated the Danger of Tinnitus and Sleep Deprivation.
“Among the gravest threats to MNK’s survival today is tinnitus. The incessant chirping in his ears is more than a nuisance.
It robs MNK of sleep, sometimes making rest completely impossible.
It exacerbates MNK’s hypertension.
It magnifies chest pain, fainting risks, and psychological strain.
It undermines MNK’s body’s natural capacity to heal.
DSS doctors once proposed to drain fluid from MNK’s inner ear but abandoned the plan due to the risk of permanent hearing loss. Since then, no serious effort has been made to treat this condition, even though its effects are cumulative and potentially devastating. Sleep deprivation, when combined with existing hypertension, organ strain, and potassium instability, places MNK in immediate danger of stroke, collapse, or sudden death.”
The letter also informed the World Medical Association of details of the NMA Medical Assessment of 22 September 2025.
It stated: “On Tuesday, 22 September 2025, a panel of NMA doctors, acting under the directive of the Attorney-General of the Federation, assessed MNK in the presence of his brother and Dr. Mohammed. Their findings fully corroborated the diagnoses made by Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji and identified yet another condition requiring nasal surgery.
‘Falsification of medical records by DSS-appointed doctors is a grave violation of medical ethics.
“Intimidation of independent physicians undermines patient care and public trust.
‘Denial of MNK’s right under Rule 27 of the Mandela Rules to be treated by a physician of his choice.
“Failure to disclose test results or medications breaches the principle of informed consent.
“Neglect of tinnitus and sleep deprivation shows a reckless disregard for the life-threatening impact of untreated conditions.”
“We respectfully call upon the WMA to direct the Nigeria Medical Association, at the risk of suspension, to:
“Ensure immediate release of the NMA report of 22 September 2025 to the Federal High Court within the mandated four-day window.
“Affirm and protect the role of Emeritus Professor Martin Aghaji as MNK’s physician of choice, free from intimidation.
“Investigate the conduct of Dr. Nasiru Mohammed and other DSS-appointed doctors for falsification of results.
“Recognize tinnitus and sleep deprivation as urgent dangers requiring immediate medical response.
“Institute an independent oversight mechanism to guarantee medical ethics and patient rights in cases involving MNK and other detainees in Nigeria.”
“Without immediate decisive action by the WMA and NMA, Nigeria’s criminal medical neglect of MNK may prove fatal.”