A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to immediately set up a team of experts to determine the true state of health of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Justice James Omotosho, who issued the order, gave the committee eight days to file its report before the court to guide a decision on whether Kanu should be transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.
The court’s intervention follows conflicting medical reports from Kanu’s private doctors and DSS medical personnel, which presented sharply different positions on his health status.
The judge noted that the panel must visit the Department of State Services (DSS) medical facility where Kanu is currently receiving care, in order to ascertain if it has the capacity to manage his condition. He further ruled that the committee is free to make use of any hospital across the country in the course of its assessment.
Justice Omotosho stressed that the team should consist of between eight and ten NMA members, including a cardiologist and a neurologist, while the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital must also be part of the panel.