The Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the Department of State Services (DSS) medical facility is adequate for the treatment of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, CityNews reports.
The ruling came during Thursday’s sitting, where the court also directed Kanu to open his defence on October 23, 2025, and close it on or before October 30, 2025.
Confirming the development in a post on X (formerly Twitter), one of Kanu’s lawyers, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, stated:
“MAZI NNAMDI KANU’s case has just been adjourned to 23rd October 2025 for commencement of his defence. The Judge further held that the DSS medical facility is adequate for his medical care and that MNK has until 30th October to close his defense.”
Speaking with journalists shortly after the court session, Barr. Ejimakor expressed surprise over the court’s decision, describing it as an “ambush” against the defence team. He explained that the team was only served with the medical report from the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) during the court proceedings, despite the fact that the report was due since September 26.
“We were taken by surprise today. We were served, as a matter of ambush, with a medical report which the NMA was ordered to submit since September 26. The report is dated October, but we only got it today in open court. So, the defence had no ample opportunity to react to it,” Ejimakor said.
He noted that although the court had previously ordered the NMA to examine Kanu, such an examination was never carried out. Instead, the report relied on what he termed an “informal meeting” with Kanu weeks before the order was officially made.
“The order for medical examination was entered on September 26 and restated on October 8, but the NMA never examined him. The report seems to be based on an informal interaction with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as far back as September 18. We felt disadvantaged, but the proceedings had to continue as the court desired,” he explained.
Ejimakor questioned the authenticity of the medical report, describing it as “assumptive and medically baseless.”
“You’re talking about someone’s life for goodness’ sake. You cannot just sit in your office and start writing a medical report without conducting proper tests. The report says he has multiple health challenges but still concludes he can stand trial — how does that make sense?” he queried.
The lawyer also expressed concern over what he described as a larger pattern of injustice, arguing that the case goes beyond Kanu to reflect the “marginalization” of the Igbo people.
“As a matter of truth, the Igbos are on trial. This is a war against the Igbos. We’ve seen the federal government negotiating with bandits and terrorists, but when it comes to someone exercising his constitutional rights, the treatment is different. What exactly is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu being tried for? Does the court even have jurisdiction over this matter?” Ejimakor asked.
He further alleged that the prosecution deliberately delayed the medical report to weaken the defence’s preparation.
“The court gave them two weeks to produce the report, but they kept it until today before serving us in open court. How do we adequately consult our client under such circumstances?” he added.
Despite the defence’s concerns, the court maintained its ruling, setting October 23 for the commencement of Kanu’s defence and October 30 as the deadline for closing it.
