Again, IPOB Raises the Alarm over Nnamdi Kanu’s Health

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) have yet again raised the alarm over the deteriorating health condition of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, saying reports from his lawyer who was privileged to visit him has it that the freedom fighter was suffering greatly in prison.

IPOB had weeks ago called for help from the international community, saying that its leader had fallen ill in prison and has been denied access to his doctors or allowed out of the prison to cater for his health.

The group said his health condition may not be unconnected to constant threats to his life, and that his health is getting out of hand.

In a press release signed on behalf of the group by its publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, and made available to journalists in Awka, it called on the international community to prevail upon the administration of President Buhari not to impede medical access to him.

IPOB also accused the Department of State Service (DSS) of conniving with some prisons officials to tamper with Kanu’s life. Part of the release reads, “Information received from our lawyers who visited him showed troubling ill health condition. We have notified the international community about his present conditions which are debilitating abdominal pains and occasional tightening of the chest resulting in cough which we thought was dust accumulating in the lungs but which has persisted.”

The group said some of the conditions started after his tortuous period in DSS custody when he lost a lot of blood through bouts of sustained nose bleeding, resulting from the physical and mental torture he underwent.

He said “DSS has this information on their record and we suggest they make it public for the world to know. This loss of blood through bleeding from the nose prompted the agency to send in an external doctor to examine him while in their custody.
“He nearly had stroke because of the ordeal and as the doctor told him, had the blood not drained from his nose he would have had a blood clot in the brain resulting in paralysis in parts of the body. DSS are aware of all these. Any journalist can contact them to confirm it,” IPOB said.

The group said the illness was the reason why the DSS and the prison authorities are using intimidation, arbitrary arrest of his visitors to scare people away from going to visit him.

They said, “They don’t want people to be able to ascertain the health condition of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. His health is deteriorating, that he goes to sleep and wakes up in pain. The tear gas attack and failed assassination attempt has made his health worse. If people do their proper research they will find out all these things for themselves.”
The group urged President Buhari to allow qualified medical intervention at this stage to at least alleviate the pains he is going through.