The family of Nnamdi Kanu has raised fresh concerns over what it describes as the continued harassment of the IPOB leader’s independent medical team by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), nearly a year after divergent assessments of his health first surfaced in court.
In a statement issued by family spokesman Emmanuel Kanu, the Okwu-Kanu family accused the agencies of systematically targeting physicians who conducted an independent examination of Kanu, arguing that the pressure constitutes an attempt to intimidate professionals for discharging their duties.
The latest complaint follows a formal petition dated August 1, 2026, which Kanu submitted from the Sokoto Custodial Centre to the Registrar of the MDCN. In the document, Kanu alleged ongoing intimidation of his doctors and the falsification of his medical condition, noting that he is no longer under DSS custody.
“I am no longer in DSS custody. I have been convicted and transferred to Sokoto Correctional Centre under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Nigerian Correctional Service. Yet, the harassment of my medical team continues unabated, suggesting a coordinated campaign that transcends agency boundaries and constitutes a grave violation of my rights and the rights of my physicians, and the rule of law,” Kanu wrote.
The dispute originates from conflicting medical evaluations presented during Kanu’s trial. While he was still detained by the DSS, his health reportedly deteriorated, prompting a High Court order on September 26, 2025, for a thorough medical examination. The report subsequently submitted by the DSS differed markedly from the findings of an independent team led by Emeritus Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery Martin Aghaji.
According to the family, Professor Aghaji was arrested by DSS operatives during a midnight operation in July, transported first to Lagos and later to Abuja, and released after 72 hours in custody. Another member of the medical team, Dr Charles Ndukwu, was later invited by the MDCN for questioning, an action the family characterises as further harassment over issues already before the courts.
The Okwu-Kanu family maintains that the continued scrutiny of the independent physicians is unjustified, pointing out that the substantive medical disagreements arising from the two reports form part of the matters currently pending before the Court of Appeal.
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