The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to constitute an independent medical panel to determine whether Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is fit to continue standing trial on terrorism-related charges.
Delivering the ruling on Friday, Justice James Omotosho mandated the NMA President to assemble a team of eight to ten medical experts to conduct a comprehensive assessment of Kanu’s health.
The judge issued the directive while ruling on Kanu’s application to be transferred to a private ward at the National Hospital, Abuja, for urgent medical attention over what he described as a life-threatening condition.
Justice Omotosho, after reviewing arguments from Kanu’s counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), and the prosecution led by Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), said the panel must also inspect the medical facilities available at the Department of State Services (DSS) to determine if they are adequate for managing Kanu’s condition.
The court further instructed the panel to address three key questions:
Whether the DSS facilities are sufficient to handle the defendant’s medical needs.
Whether a transfer to the National Hospital is necessary.
Whether Kanu’s health challenges are serious enough to make him unfit to stand trial.
Justice Omotosho also ordered that the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital or a designated representative must be part of the team.
The court directed that the panel’s report, duly signed by its chairman and secretary, be filed in the court’s registry within eight days from September 26, 2025.
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