I May Die In Detention, Nnamdi Kanu Tells Court

I may die in detention, Nnamdi Kanu tells Court

Detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has filed an application before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to be transferred from the custody of the Department of State Service, DSS, to the Nigerian Correctional Service Centre in Kuje.

Kanu, in the application he filed through his team of lawyers led by Mr Ifeanyi Ejiofor, decried that he has been denied access to his medical doctors.

He said he might die in the custody of the DSS if nothing was done to urgently address his deteriorating health condition.

He specifically applied for an order of the trial court, “directing the transfer of the Applicant from the custody of the National Headquarters of the State Security Service to the Nigerian Correctional Service Centre in Kuje, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, where he was initially detained before he was granted bail, pending the determination of the charge”.

As well as, “An order of this Honourable Court directing the Defendant/Applicant’s custodian, to grant access to his medical experts/doctors to carry out a comprehensive independent medical examination of the defendant/applicant’s health condition/status, while in custody.”

It will be recalled that Kanu whose whereabout was hitherto unknown, was on June 27 returned back to the country after he was arrested from a yet to be confirmed African country.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, had insisted that he lawfully “intercepted” as a result of a collaborative effort of various security agencies in the country.

However, Kanu’s lawyer, Ejiofor, disclosed that his client was on June 18, illegally arrested at the airport and detained for eight days by Kenya’s Special Police Force before he was eventually handed over to their Nigerian counterpart.

Ejiofor alleged that the IPOB leader was tortured and subjected to various forms of inhuman treatment in Kenya, a situation he said worsened his health condition.

Trial Justice Binta Nyako had upon Kanu’s return to Nigeria, ordered his remand in DSS custody, even as his trial on a treasonable felony charge, which was initially fixed for October, was brought forward to June 26.